Jayapura, Papua, May 2 -- Armed Papuan rebels assaulted army personnel conducting a patrol in Bibida Village, Bibida Sub-district, Paniai District, Central Papua, on Wednesday, though none of the soldiers fell victims to the shooting.

The attack occurred when the soldiers were passing the village's three-way junction, XVII/Cenderawasih Regional Military Command spokesman Lt Col Chandra Kurniawan noted in a statement issued here, Thursday.

In response to the assault, soldiers from the 527/BY Infantry Battalion Task Force chased the separatists, arrested a civilian hiding in a bush, and engaged in a gunfight, he stated.

The army personnel carried out the patrol to protect villagers from the rebels' security disturbances, he remarked, add...