Papua Rebels Claim They Shot Dead an American Pilot
A pilot reported his aircraft had landed safely. Minutes later, all contact was lost.
A separatist group is now claiming they shot him dead.
The West Papua Liberation Army, known by its Indonesian acronym TPNPB, said Thursday its fighters killed American pilot Nicholas F. Goselin. They also set fire to his aircraft.
The attack happened in Balinggama village, in Indonesia's remote Yahukimo regency. There has been no confirmation from the Indonesian military or the US Embassy.
What's Confirmed So Far
Indonesia's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the aircraft was operated by domestic carrier PT AMA. It was carrying one pilot and seven passengers.
The pilot radioed that the plane had landed. Contact with personnel at the airstrip was lost shortly after, the ministry said.
Papua police's Cartenz Peace Task Force unit said it was still working to verify the pilot's and passengers' condition. A team is expected to deploy to the site on Friday.
TPNPB spokesman Sebby Sambom said the aircraft was targeted for allegedly violating a group ultimatum. That ultimatum bans civilian flights from entering areas TPNPB considers its operational zones.
He offered no immediate information on the Indonesian nationals believed to be aboard. The group's claims could not be independently verified.
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Not an Isolated Incident
This is at least the second deadly attack on a small aircraft in Papua's airspace this year. In February, two pilots were shot and killed after their Smart Air aircraft was fired on while landing at Karowai Airstrip in Boven Digoel Regency, South Papua.
Authorities were still investigating that attack months later.
TPNPB has a documented history of targeting civilian aviation it believes supports Indonesian military logistics. In 2023, the group captured New Zealand pilot Philip Mehrtens. He was held for 19 months before his release in September 2024.
Sambom has repeatedly used the same justification across these incidents. He says civilian charter flights are being used to ferry Indonesian troops and supplies into the remote highland interior. Operators who keep flying despite the group's warnings, he says, are treated as legitimate military targets.
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Six Decades of Unresolved Conflict
Papua was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 through a United Nations-sponsored vote. The vote is widely criticized as a sham.
Fewer than 1,025 handpicked Papuan elders were selected to vote, under military pressure, out of a population that numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
A low-level insurgency has simmered ever since. It's driven by Indigenous Papuan grievances over land, resource extraction, and decades of state-backed migration that has shifted the region's demographics.
The conflict has intensified sharply over the past year. Dozens of rebels, security forces, and civilians have been killed.
Rights groups estimate between 60,000 and 100,000 Papuans have been internally displaced since fighting escalated in 2018. The region remains largely closed off to independent journalists, UN human rights investigators, and international aid organizations.
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A Politically Sensitive Moment
The claimed killing of an American pilot lands at a delicate moment in US-Indonesia military relations. Washington has spent recent months pressing Jakarta for expanded military overflight access across Indonesian airspace.
That proposal has drawn domestic criticism in Indonesia over sovereignty concerns.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is himself a former general. He once led counterinsurgency operations against East Timor's independence movement.
Since taking office, Prabowo has pursued a notably personal, accommodating diplomatic style with the Trump administration.
Sambom called on Prabowo to open international negotiations. He described the case as a 64-year conflict.
The pilot's death, Sambom said, "is the result of the failure of the Indonesian, U.S. and Dutch governments, as well as the United Nations, to address the root causes." He urged the UN to facilitate three-way talks between Jakarta, TPNPB, and Papuan representatives. He also warned the group would target other civilian aircraft it believes are supporting Indonesian military operations.
TL;DR
- TPNPB claims it shot dead American pilot Nicholas Goselin and burned his aircraft in Yahukimo regency
- Indonesian authorities have not confirmed the claim; a verification team is expected Friday
- This is at least the second fatal attack on a small aircraft in Papua this year
- The claim comes as the US presses Indonesia for expanded military overflight access
- TPNPB is calling for UN-facilitated talks and has warned of further attacks on civilian flights
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Politics & World News Editor
James Mitchell has covered US and UK politics for over a decade, with a focus on elections, foreign policy, and Capitol Hill. He breaks down complex political stories into clear, fast analysis.
