Rebels in Indonesia’s Papua say they killed 9 soldiers; army says 1 died

Separatist rebels in Indonesia’s Papua region claimed on Sunday to have killed nine army personnel the day before, after Jakarta did not respond to a request for negotiations, while the military said one soldier died during the attack on Saturday.
Indonesian military spokesperson Julius Widjojono said on Sunday other soldiers were dispersed to several sites in the search for captured Susi Air pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, and they were having communication difficulties due to bad weather.
Julius said when asked about the higher casualty numbers, “As of 2:03 p.m. local time (0503 GMT) the information we have is one died. We have not received any other information because it is difficult to reach the area, especially with the uncertain weather.”
Julius said the military will intensify the operation to rescue Mehrtens as they have identified the pilot’s location.
He said, erratic weather has made the effort challenging.