Indonesian paratroopers ordered to 'finish off' separatist rebels in Aceh
Five rebels were killed and seven others captured during the first day of the assault yesterday, said Lt Col Achmad Yani Basuki.
Indonesia has sent more than 1,000 elite troops to the north-west province, firing rockets and landing marines in what is expected to be its biggest military operation since it invaded East Timor in 1975.
Indonesian military chief Gen Endriartono Sutarto told 300 troops in Aceh's capital Banda Aceh yesterday to fight the rebels from the Free Aceh Movement, known as GAM, "till your last drop of blood".
"Chase them, destroy GAM. Don't talk about it, just finish them off," he said. "If they want to surrender, then don't kill them. But if they persist, you only have one job, destroy them."
A police spokesman in the northern town of Bireun said rebels in the area were burning buildings mostly schools. At least 20 schools were burned yesterday.
"Those captured rebels have revealed that the rebel group has a plan to burn down school buildings, especially those located around military posts, in order to discredit the military," Basuki said.
Villagers in the area also found the body of a 60-year-old councillor who police said was shot by the rebels.
Rebel spokesman Sofyan Daud said only civilians have died since the start of the offensive and insisted the guerillas will hold their own in battle.
"We have withdrawn our forces to their bases in the hills. We will fight back hard," he said by satellite telephone from an undisclosed location.
"The wounds (the military are inflicting) will hurt for a long time and create a new generation of rebels," he said. "It is going to be drawn out war."
The United States, Japan, Australia and members of the European Union said that talks aimed at securing a deal for Aceh's regional autonomy should have been given more time to succeed.
"We hope that it's going to be possible to get back on to the diplomatic path before too long," said Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
Attack planes rocketed a suspected rebel base on Monday close to Banda Aceh, the first time in several years that air strikes have been used there.
About 30,000 government troops are trying to crush about 5,000 poorly armed guerrillas based in mountains and jungles.
The sides have been fighting since 1976, in one of Asia's longest running conflicts. More than 12,000 people have been killed in the decades of fighting.
Aceh province is on Sumatra island, 1,200 miles north-west of Jakarta.
