Jayapura, Jubi – The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPBPB) has claimed responsibility for the fatal shooting of an American pilot in Papua, saying the aircraft ignored the group’s ban on civilian flights into what it considers its operational territory.

TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom said the group’s fighters shot pilot Nicholas F. Goselin and set fire to an Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) aircraft after it landed in Balingga Village, Yahukimo Regency, on Thursday.

Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed the aircraft lost contact shortly after the pilot reported landing. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter was carrying the pilot and seven local passengers.

The Indonesian military rejected TPNPB’s claim that the aircraft was transporting troops, saying all seven passengers were Indigenous Papuan civilians, including three women, and none were injured.

Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Wirya Artadiguna said an evacuation team was forced to turn back on Thursday because of poor weather conditions and would attempt to reach the site again on Friday.

Papua Police said they had yet to verify the pilot’s condition or establish the full circumstances of the incidents, citing the area’s rugged terrain and the lack of road access.

TPNPB Yahukimo commander Brig. Gen. Elkius Kobak said the attack was carried out under his orders because the group had previously declared all civilian flights into its operational area prohibited.

“We also inform the United States government, through its embassy in Indonesia, and member states of the United Nations that the shooting of this American pilot is a consequence of the failure of the government of Indonesia, the United Stated, the Netherlands, and the United Nations to resolve the root causes of the Papua conflict between Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army, which has continued for 64 years,” Kobak said.

Sambom Alleged that civilian aircraft operating in the region have been used to transport Indonesian military personnel and logistic into remote areas of Papua, and said the aircraft was targeted because it continued flying despite the group’s warning. That claim could not independently verify the allegation.

He also urged the United Nations to facilitate talks involving the Indonesian government, TPNPB, and Papua representatives, while warning that the group would continue targeting civilian aircraft it believes are supporting Indonesian military operations.

Earlier on Thursday, Papua police reported that AMA aircraft flying from Wamena to Balingga had lost contact. Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Cahyo Sukarnito said reports of burning wreckage near Balingga Airstrip prompted a joint military and police response.

The decades-long armed conflict in Papua has intensified in recent years, with fighting between Indonesian security forces and armed separatist groups resulting in the deaths of combatants and civilians alike. Foreign pilots operating in Papua have previously been targeted by TPNPB, which accuses some civilian flights of assisting military operations–an allegation consistently denied by Indonesian authorities. (*)