Indonesia’s military says that it has recovered the body of an American pilot who was shot dead by separatist insurgents ​in the eastern region of Papua yesterday, in what the rebels described as a “message” to the U.S. and Indonesian governments.

Sebby Sambom, a spokesperson for the ​West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Organization, said yesterday ⁠that its troops shot dead American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin after he landed at an airstrip in the Yahukimo regency of Highland Papua province.

He accused the aircraft of transporting Indonesian military personnel into the area.

“We immediately fired upon and burned the plane because it had violated the TPNPB ultimatum,” he said. “We are prepared to fire upon any civilian aircraft across the Land of Papua that assists Indonesian military forces in transporting troops or military logistics.”

The attack was a message to the Indonesian ​and U.S. governments for “failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between ​the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army,” Sebby added.

Today, Wirya Artadiguna, a military spokesperson ‌in Papua, ⁠confirmed that Gosselin’s body had been recovered and evacuated, and said that the military was seeking those responsible.

In a separate statement quoted by BBC News, Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said there were no security concerns raised as Gosselin’s flight came in to land, but that communications were lost shortly after it touched down. According to Reuters, the aircraft was operated by the airline PT AMA, whose planes carry food, fuel and mail to remote villages in Papua

Papua has been home to a simmering separatist insurgency since the region was absorbed by Indonesia in 1969, after what independence activists say was a flawed U.N. referendum. But the conflict has worsened considerably over the past decade, as the Indonesian state has extended infrastructure and transport links into the heart of highland Papua, prompting more damaging and sophisticated attacks by the TPNPB and Papuan independence groups.

The eastern portion of the region in particular has become increasingly militarized since 2018. As of 2022, the U.N. was reporting that more than 100,000 people had been displaced by the escalating conflict.

The TPNPB has a history of targeting aircraft servicing remote and isolated parts of the Papuan highlands. In February 2023, its soldiers attacked and destroyed an aircraft at an airport in Nduga, also in Highland Papua province. It also kidnapped its New Zealand pilot, Philip Mehrtens, threatening to kill him if its demands for independence were not met. The TPNPB released Mehrtens in September 2024, following talks with the Indonesian authorities.

A month prior to Mehrtens’ release, another New Zealander, helicopter pilot Glen Malcolm Conning, was shot and killed by TPNPB soldiers shortly after landing in an isolated part of Central Papua province.