Separatist fighters in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region kill an American pilot and set fire to a civilian aircraft, according to claims by the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) and related reporting. TPNPB spokesperson Sebby Sambom names the pilot as Nicholas F. Gosselin and says the fighters shot him after the plane landed in Yahukimo, in Highland Papua province, before torching the aircraft.
The attack is described by the group as a “message” aimed at the US and Indonesian governments. One report says the rebels allege the plane had ferried Indonesian military personnel, while other coverage focuses on the group’s stated purpose rather than independent verification of the payload.
Indonesian authorities confirm that the aircraft is found burnt, but they do not immediately verify the rebels’ claims about the pilot’s death or the circumstances leading to the attack. The incident follows a long-running, low-level insurgency by independence fighters in parts of Papua, with reporting noting that the conflict has persisted for years and has involved increasingly frequent violence.
