Indonesia's military said it killed 14 Papuan fighters during an operation to free a village from the control of separatists in the restive province this week, and said residents had welcomed the soldiers. Troops moved toward the village of Soanggama on Tuesday night and a firefight with a group of about 30 separatists broke out early on Wednesday morning, local military official Iwan Dwi Prihartono said in a statement.

He said it took until midday for the soldiers to secure the village, with 14 separatist fighters dead and the others fleeing into a nearby forest and leaving weapons and equipment behind. "The military was successful in killing 14 people," Iwan said. The commander of the operation, Major General Lucky Avianto, said in the statement that the soldiers' actions were lawful an

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