5 soldiers killed in attacks by gunmen in Indonesia

Gunmen launched attacks in two separate places in the Indonesian province of Papua on Thursday morning, killing five soldiers and seriously injured two civilians, a military officer said here. Dozens of in-identified gunmen attacked the military post in Tingginambut and soldiers carrying logistic in Sinak at 08:30 a.m. local time, spokesman of the Indonesian military Iskandar Sitompul said. "Five soldier were shot dead and two civilians have suffered serious cut after being hit by big knifes," Sitompul told Xinhua over phone. The attackers escaped and now the police and military officers were jointly pursuing the perpetrators, he said. Papua is homed by separatist Free Papua Movement known as OPM, who has engaged in a low-level insurgency and used diplomatic channels to reach their target to separate from Indonesia. The group has frequently targeted the military, the police and the U.S.-based mining giant PT Freeport compound in Papua, killing dozens of people, including civilians.