Indonesian troops parachuted into central Aceh province today in search of rebels on the second day of a military offensive aimed at crushing a 27-year-old rebellion.
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels, who number about 5,000 and demand independence, said 17 civilians had been killed in sporadic fighting so far. Indonesia's military said it had killed four rebels, while four soldiers had been wounded.
At least 40 schools have been torched in the past 24 hours when Indonesia launched its military offensive, one of its largest in decades, in the resource-rich province of about four million people.
President Megawati Sukarnoputri has vowed to keep ethnically diverse Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, adding particular significance to his attempt to crush the uprising.
Indonesian military chief General Endriartono Sutarto warned rebels they would be "wiped out" but the separatists have vowed to fight forever.
"You must chase and wipe out GAM ... you are trained to kill, so wipe them out," Mr Sutarto told 200 military officers in battle dress in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh.
But seeking to allay fears among this staunchly Muslim province's population that troops would abuse civilians as in past operations, Mr Sutarto ordered his officers to shoot their own men in the heads if they did.
The international community responded with dismay to renewed fighting after the collapse of a five-month-old peace pact, fearing heavy casualties. The United States, Australia and the United Nations urged a return to the negotiating table.
GAM has demanded independence since 1976 in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people, most of them civilians.