At least six people are dead and 30 more missing after separatist gunmen attacked Indonesian army troops deployed to rescue a New Zealand pilot taken hostage in Papua, according to reports.
Initial information from army reports said there were about 36 soldiers at a post in the district of Nduga, searching for Phillip Mark Mehrtens.
The New Zealand pilot, working for the Indonesian aviation company Susi Air, was abducted by the rebels in February.
Military leaders said they had narrowed in on his location when attacked from the West Papua Liberation Army on Saturday.
At least six died and 21 others fled into the jungle, according to military reports seen by journalists.
One soldier was killed when he fell into a deep ravine, with other forces coming under attack as they tried to save him.
A military spokesman confirmed only one dead. Nine soldiers were reportedly being held by the rebels.
Papua military spokesperson Colonel Herman Taryaman said authorities were searching for about 30 soldiers.
"It's still unknown exactly how many Indonesian army troops died and were injured," Mr Taryaman said.
"We are still searching, but heavy rain, foggy weather and a lack of communication have hampered our search and evacuation efforts."
First Admiral Julius Widjojono, spokesperson for the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) said the search operation would be carried out "with maximum force".
He said rebels confronted troops when they tried to comb an area close to the position of the pilot and his abductors.
Rebel spokesperson Sebby Sambom said in a statement the group's fighters had carried out the attack in revenge for the killing of two rebels in a shootout with Indonesian security forces last month.
He said at least nine members of Indonesia's elite army force were killed in Saturday's attack.
Mr Sambom urged Indonesia's government to stop its military operations in Papua.
He also said his group had offered to negotiate with both the Indonesian and New Zealand governments for the pilot they took hostage, but said they had not received a response.
"Indonesia's government must stop its security operation in Papua and be willing to negotiate with our leaders under the mediation of a neutral third party from a United Nations agency," Mr Sambom said.
Mr Widjojono said the military operations in Papua were launched with a view to avoid mass casualties.
"TNI has never stepped back even once in maintaining our territorial sovereignty," Mr Widjojono said.
"And this is being implemented consistently in Papua."
A spokesperson said the New Zealand government was aware of the reports but would not be making any comment.
"The welfare of Mr Mehrtens is our top priority," the spokesperson said.
"We're doing everything we can to secure a peaceful resolution and Mr Mehrtens' safe release, including working closely with the Indonesian authorities and deploying New Zealand consular staff.
"We are also supporting Mr Mehrtens' family, both here in Aotearoa and in Indonesia.
"They have asked for privacy at this incredibly challenging time."
Pilot abducted amid ongoing conflict
The rebels in February stormed a single-engine plane shortly after it landed on a small runway in Paro in the remote Nduga district and abducted its pilot.
The plane initially was scheduled to pick up 15 construction workers who had been building a health centre after separatist rebels threatened to kill them.
Saturday's fighting is the latest in a series of violent incidents in recent years in Papua, a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia.
Conflicts between indigenous Papuans and Indonesian security forces are common.
Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969, after a UN-sponsored ballot that was widely seen as a sham.
Since then, a low-level insurgency has simmered in the region, which is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua.
Rebel attacks have spiked in the past year, with dozens of rebels, security forces and civilians killed.
ABC/AP
