An Indonesian military plane has been shot at by a faction of the West Papua Liberation Army in Papua province.
The air force transport plane was flying over remote Pegunungan Bintang regency when shot at on Monday.
A Liberation Army spokesman, Sebby Sambom, said its troops fired on the aircraft because Indonesia's military has been dropping off "large numbers" of personnel to Oksibil, the regency's capital.
West Papua Liberation Army fighters. Photo: Supplied.
The Jakarta Post reports Indonesian authorities saying the plane was carrying three tons of foodstuff and other materials owned by the regency administration.
The Indonesian regional military comand spokesman, Lt Colonel Eko Daryanto said five bullet holes were found on the plane's body, but that it was able to land and had not been heavily damaged.
He said this followed another shooting incident in the regency at the start of March when trucks belonging to a state-owned enterprise were shot at in Oksibil..
Papua province has seen an escalating number of shootings since the beginning of the year, as the Liberation Army continues its war on the Indonesian state.
Shootings happened in several regions, such as Nduga regency, Intan Jaya, Mimika, Pegunungan Bintang and Keerom, several of them deadly.
