Gunmen kill New Zealand helicopter pilot in another attack in Indonesia’s restive Papua region

Associated Press

JAYAPURA, Indonesia (AP) — Gunmen have stormed a helicopter and killed its New Zealand pilot shortly after it landed in Indonesia’s restive Papua region. Police say the gunmen released the Indigenous health workers and children on board. A West Papua Liberation Army spokesperson tells The Associated Press that he has not received any reports from fighters on the ground about the killing but adds that “if that happens, it was his own fault for entering our forbidden territory.” The impoverished Papua region is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia, and conflict with Indonesian security forces has risen in the past year.