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Indonesia soldier jailed for aiding Papua rebels by Staff Writers Jayapura, Indonesia (AFP) Feb 14, 2020 An Indonesian soldier has been jailed for life after being convicted of selling ammunition to rebels in the country's restive Papua region. The heavy sentence comes as Jakarta boosts its troop deployments to Papua, the scene of a decades-long separatist insurgency. Soldier Wahyu Insyafiadi received the life term Wednesday for selling some 2,600 pieces of ammunition, including bullets, to rebels. "(Insyafiadi) has tarnished the image of the Indonesian army," presiding judge Muhammad Idris told a military court. Two other military members were sentenced to two-and-a-half and 15 year sentences respectively for their role in the sales. Papua is a mineral-rich former Dutch colony that shares an island border with independent Papua New Guinea. Indonesia took it over in the 1960s following a vote to stay within the archipelago that was widely viewed as rigged. Ethnically Melanesian, most Papuans are Christians who have few cultural links to Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Turkey, Russia trade accusations as Syria tensions rise Istanbul (AFP) Feb 12, 2020 Turkey's president accused Russia of committing "massacres" in its support of the Syrian government on Wednesday, escalating a war of words as more Turkish reinforcements arrived on the ground. Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to strike Syrian regime forces "everywhere" if its soldiers come under renewed attack, but Russia hit back and accused the Turks of failing to "neutralise terrorists" in the northwestern province of Idlib. Turkey has shored up its positions in recent days in Idlib - the la ... read more
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