Jayapura. Two construction workers were shot dead on Wednesday while working on a church project in Jayawijaya Regency, Mountainous Papua, in an attack allegedly carried out by an armed separatist group affiliated with the Free Papua Movement (OPM), officials said.

The victims, identified as Rahmat Hidayat (45) and Saepudin (39), were residents of Purwakarta, West Java, and had been hired to help build the church in the remote district of Asotipo.

Brigadier General Faizal Rahmadani, commander of the Cartenz Peacekeeping Task Force -- a joint police and military unit assigned to Papua -- said the attackers are believed to be members of a group led by Egianus Kogoya, a prominent separatist figure in the region.

"According to witness testimonies, the two workers attempted to flee during the assault but were captured and executed at the scene," Faizal said in Jayapura.

A joint security team has since been deployed to the area to retrieve the bodies, secure the site, and pursue the perpetrators, he added.

The killings mark the latest in a string of violent attacks in Papua, where insurgents linked to OPM have increasingly targeted both civilians and security forces.

Less than a month ago, two police officers were fatally shot in an ambush in Puncak Jaya Regency while riding motorcycles. Authorities suspect the attack was carried out by a separatist group led by Ternus Enumbi, another figure believed to be associated with OPM.

Violence in Papua has surged in recent months. In April, 11 gold miners were killed in an attack in Yahukimo Regency, followed by a separate incident in which a female teacher was shot dead and six others wounded.

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