Inp.polri.go.id - Kenyam. In the latest hostage rescue development of Susi Air pilot Philip Mehrtens, the Indonesian Military and Indonesian National Police (INP) have gained control of the Nduga Regency and closely guarded the routes used by the Armed Criminal Group (KKB) led by Egianus Kogoya, an official said.
Police Superintendent Rio Alexander Panelewen, the Chief of Nduga Sub-Regional Police, confirmed that the situation in Nduga has been stable and the search for the pilot continued.
"While we have taken control of Nduga, negotiation remains our priority. The decision to surrender and return the pilot to us rests with Egianus and his group," he said on Tuesday (21/2/23).
The presence and the efforts of the Indonesian Military and the INP team to limit the movements of the KKB serves as a symbol of the state's commitment to protect the local community from the group's disturbances and a symbol of the team's determination to rescue the pilot, he emphasized.
(ay/af/pr/um)