Indonesian police kill militant suspected in farmers’ deaths

By MOHAMMAD TAUFAN
Associated Press

PALU, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian police say they have killed a militant believed to be responsible for the killings of Christian farmers on an Indonesian island. He was the last remaining member of an organization that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group. They say Al Ikhwarisman, also known as Jaid, was a key member of the East Indonesia Mujahideen network. The group has claimed responsibility for the killings of police officers and minority Christians, some by beheading. Police say Jaid conducted at least 10 of the group’s executions, including the killing of four Christian farmers in May 2021. Jaid was killed by an elite police counterterrorism unit during a shootout in an extremist hotbed in Central Sulawesi province.