Two Police Officers Injured in Clash with Armed Group

Palu, C Sulawesi (Antara) - Two police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) personnel were injured in a clash with an armed group at Kilo village some 160 km southeast of the Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu on Monday at around 1 p.m. By 3.50 p.m. Brimob personnel were still at it with the suspected terrorist group, a source stated. The two injured police officers were rushed to the Bhayangkara general hospital in Palu for medical treatment. Monday's clash was the latest in a series of shootouts between Brimob personnel and armed civilian group in the province. On February 6, the police officers clashed with an armed group, while on patrol, in the village of Taunca, Central Sulawesi's Poso district, which led to the death of a policeman. Meanwhile, one member of the armed civilian group was also killed in the clash. Central Sulawesi Police Command spokesman Adjuct Senior Police Commissioner Soemarno stated that the group member killed during the clash was known by the initial F and was believed to be a member of a terror cell under the leadership of Santoso. Soemarno added that another member of the group suffered a gunshot wound in the leg. Central Sulawesi Police Command Chief Brigadier General Ari Dono Sukmanto believed that the armed members were part of a terror cell led by Santoso, who is still on the wanted list of the police. (*)