Christians attacked by Australian armed Muslims!

WEST PAPUA, Indonesia - December 18, 2011 - Thousands of people have reportedly fled in terror from a large area in Paniai, West Papua as a massive combined thug cop and military offensive attacked villages on December 13, attempting to break armed resistance from pro-independence guerrillas.

Credible human rights sources are claiming up to 20 local people have been shot dead by Indonesian security forces around the jungle centre of Markas Eduda, during a brutal operation that is reported to have razed 26 villages, and caused over 10,000 people to flee to the relative safety of Enaratoli.

Over four full strength combat battalions of Indonesian army (TNI) Kostrad commandos from Battalion 753, Brimob paramilitary police, and elite counter-terrorism troops from Detachment 88 - all units armed, trained, and supplied by the Australian government - were deployed in a cordon to surround the headquarters of the Paniai Free Papua National Liberation Army (TPN-OPM), under the command of General Jhon Yogi.

Urgent text messages were received reporting an attack on Markas Eduda by Brimob and the TNI. According to people in Paniai and those close to sources near Markas Eduda, by 13:30 local time the base had been surrounded by troops. At 14:05 local time a Paniai based contact reported to West Papua Media that the TNI and Brimob had entered Eduda and surrounding hamlets and proceeded to torch homes. Ground and air attacks (by helicopter) were both reported.

In a massive escalation to constant military operations that have been carried out across Paniai since April 2011, Indonesian forces dropped ground troops by helicopters into 26 villages surrounding the TPN headquarters.

An office of a non-government “Peace and Justice Secretariat” was amongst those burned to the ground in Eduda.

Helicopters were used repeatedly before and during the attack, with a witness reporting via SMS that t upon sunrise at 6:15 a.m. local time, helicopters began strafing the villages in the operation area and firing teargas upon local residents.

Local sources claimed that Indonesian troops fired live grenades, bombs, and tear gas from the helicopters while storming the villages surrounding Eduda. Unconfirmed reports described the helicopters as firing live rounds and also dropping fuel onto traditional huts, which were then set on fire.

Combined forces of the military, thug cops, BRIMOB and Detachment 88 were ferried by further helicopters into 14 locations around the headquarters, and proceeded to clear every village. Multiple contacts were reported throughout the day from both sides, and heavy fighting was occurring from resistance forces.