Chief of Staff of the Indonesian National Armed Forces of the Indonesian Army General Indonesian National Armed Forces Dudung Abdurachman conveyed the death of Private Arifin from the Talk Force Infantry Battalion (Yonif) Raider 321 while on a mission to free a Susi Air pilot in Nduga, Papua.

Dudung explained that Private Arifin died while combing the Mugi area with his entourage to approach the position of Susi Air Pilot Phillip Mehrtens who was being held hostage by the Papuan Armed Criminal Group. But then, there was an attack from the The Papuan Armed Criminal Group which caused Private Arifin to fall into a 15 meter deep ravine, he said on Monday 17 April 2023.

The Papuan Armed Criminal Group claims to have shot 9 Indonesian soldiers after engaging in armed contact with Indonesian soldiers. The Indonesian National Armed Forces Headquarter confirmed that four members who had lost contact after being involved in a shootout with the Papuan Armed Criminal Group in Nduga, Papua Mountains, have returned to their respective units.

Chief of General Staff of the Indonesian Army Lieutenant General Bambang Ismawan said those who had returned were still carrying complete weapons. He made sure the four members returned in good health. On Monday 17 April 2023 four soldiers returned to base, complete with weapons. So the The Papuan Armed Criminal Group’s claim that they confiscated nine weapons was not true.

Nevertheless, he said that there were still five members of the Indonesian Army who were being sought because their whereabouts had not been confirmed. The five of them, said Bambang, were members of the Yonif R 321/GT task force and members of the Special Forces.

“Now we are searching for only five people. We can’t confirm (the condition of the five members). But if you look at the previous case where the four people returned, it was speculated yesterday that maybe the four had (died), but apparently not,” he said.