A separatist group in Papua, New Guinea, admitted to shooting an American pilot transporting troops into a conflict zone.
The group claimed on Thursday that the pilot failed to heed its warnings, according to NBC News.
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A Papua separatist group said Thursday it has shot dead an American pilot who brought Indonesian troops into a ‘conflict zone.’
In a statement, Sebby Sambom, spokesman for the West Papua Liberation Army, or TPNPB, claimed the group’s fighters in Yahukimo regency shot dead American pilot Nicholas F. Goselin and set fire to an aircraft operated by PT AMA, an Indonesian airline, in Balinggama village.
There was no immediate comment from the Indonesian military or the U.S. Embassy.
The Transportation Ministry’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the plane was carrying one pilot and seven passengers. After the pilot reported that the aircraft had landed, communications with personnel at the airstrip were subsequently lost, the ministry said in a statement.
Papua police’s Cartenz Peace Task Force unit said they were still working to verify the condition of the pilot and the seven passengers and expected to deploy a team there on Friday.
Sambom said the aircraft was targeted because it allegedly violated a TPNPB ultimatum banning civilian flights from entering areas the separatist group considers its operational zones. There was no immediate information on the Indonesians who had been on board.
The spokesman alleged that civilian aircraft have been used to transport Indonesian military personnel and logistics into Papua’s remote interior and said the pilot was killed because the aircraft continued operating despite the group’s warning. The claims could not be independently verified.
The spokesman said the shooting was “the result of the failure of the Indonesian, U.S. and Dutch governments, as well as the United Nations, to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua, which has persisted for 64 years.”
Pasukan West Papua Army (TPN/OPM) – PSHT West Papua.
Pengawalan Panglima Tertinggi (Tawanan TPN OPM) Markas Komando Daerah Lanny Jaya.
Seluruh pelosok Papua Barat akan bersatu untuk mengusir penjajah kolonial Republik Indonesia dari teritorial West Papua.#FreeWestPapua #PSHT pic.twitter.com/MCyucT4h4Q
— #LandBlood (@WestPapua1977) November 17, 2024
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The West Papua National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, a separatist group dedicated to obtaining independence for West Papua from Indonesia. Reuters reported that the organization was responsible for the killings of eight civilians in May. The group said the victims were members of Indonesian military intelligence officers disguised as gold miners.
#Indonesia 🇮🇩: “West Papua National Liberation Army” (#TPNPB) released a new video to announce readiness to fight against the Indonesian Forces.
Fighters can be seen with an AK-101 assault rifle, Pindad SS1-V1 rifle, Type 2 AK-47 rifle —mostly captured from Indonesian Forces. pic.twitter.com/R0e3BOVcpC
— War Noir (@war_noir) June 27, 2026
TPNPB soldiers typically operate in remote highland areas, using guerrilla tactics against the Indonesian military.
The group was formed in the mid 1960s to separate West Papua from Indonesia and establish an independent state through armed struggle.
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