Papua separatist rebels on Thursday claimed they shot dead a US pilot and set fire to a civilian plane after it landed in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region, alleging it was carrying Indonesian military personnel to the conflict zone. A spokesman for the armed separatist group said the attack was “a message” to the US and Indonesian governments.According to Reuters, Indonesian officials confirmed that the plane was found burned, but said they could not immediately verify the rebels’ claims or confirm the pilot’s death.The incident occurred in Yahukimo Regency in highland Papua, where a decades-long low-level separatist insurgency has intensified in recent years amid frequent and deadly attacks by armed rebels.Sebi Sambom, a spokesman for the armed separatist group West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), said its fighters killed American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin after his plane landed in Balinggama district.According to the AP, he said the aircraft were “frequently dropping Indonesian military personnel and violating the TPNPB’s ultimatum.”Sambom said the plane was targeted because it allegedly violated the TPNPB ban on civilian flights over areas controlled by the group. They also claimed that the pilot died because the aircraft continued operating despite repeated warnings. Those claims could not be independently verified.Sambom described the attack as a “message” to both the Indonesian and US governments for “failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army”.He further warned that if Indonesia allowed civilian flights into the rebel-controlled “red zones” of Papua the rebels would continue to target aircraft.Reuters reported that a video released by the separatist group showed armed rebels carrying guns and axes while waving the ‘Morning Star’ flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, as they announced the attack.Indonesia’s joint police-military task force confirmed that a plane carrying an American pilot and seven Papuan passengers was found burned at a local airport in Yahukimo.However, Joint Security Operations spokesman Yusuf Sutejo said officials could not immediately confirm whether the plane was attacked by separatists or whether the pilot was killed.Indonesia’s transport ministry said Thursday that the plane had taken off from Wamena for Yahukimo with a pilot and seven passengers on board but lost contact shortly after landing. The plane belonged to PT AMA, an airline that delivers food, fuel and mail to remote villages in Papua.According to Reuters, neither PT AMA nor the US Embassy in Jakarta immediately responded to requests for comment.The latest incident comes more than a year after Papuan rebels kidnapped New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens after his plane landed in the remote Nduga region. After being imprisoned for several months, he was released in 2024.Sambom also met with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to launch international negotiations on the Papua conflict and urged the UN to facilitate talks to include Jakarta, the TPNPB and Papuan representatives, while also reiterating the group’s warning that it believes aircraft supporting military operations could remain targets.