Gunmen launch attacks near Freeport Indonesia mine; 3 hurt

JAYAPURA, Indonesia – Police say unidentified gunmen have launched attacks near a U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in eastern Indonesia, wounding two policemen and a civilian.

Saturday’s attacks happened near Freeport Indonesia’s mine in the easternmost province of Papua. Freeport Indonesia is a unit of Phoenix, Arizona-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

Papua police spokesmen Lt. Col. Suryadi Diaz says the two officers were attacked while searching for gunmen who earlier fired on two Freeport cars, including one driven by an American man.

He says the first attack happened Saturday morning near the mining town of Tembagapura. An Indonesian man was injured while driving a car, while the American man escaped unharmed.

A low-level insurgency for independence has continued in the region since it was transferred from Dutch to Indonesian rule in 1963.