BANDA ACEH (Indonesia) May 25: A series of explosions rocked the district town of Lhokseumawe in North Aceh on Sunday, as the death toll continued its climb at the end of the first week of a massive government operation to crush separatist rebels in the province.

At least five people were killed or found dead across Aceh by noon on Sunday, witnesses and police said, as a delegation of five government ministers arrived to asses the situation.

A soldier was killed in a clash with rebels in North Aceh district shortly after noon on Sunday, Lieutenant Colonel Yani Basuki, spokesman for the operation, said on Elshinta radio.

Indonesian police said they had arrested 12 students in a crack-down on separatist supporters during the operation.

Aceh police spokesman Sayed Husainy said the 12 students at the State Institute for Religious Sciences were arrested late Saturday along with five private-sector workers.

Husainy also said that non-governmental organizations “which so far have claimed to defend human rights” will be monitored.

Aceh has been under martial law since Monday as up to 40,000 police and soldiers confront what the government estimates are around 5,000 rebels from the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which has been fighting for an independent state since 1976.

Three explosions heard behind the fishmarket in Lhokseumawe around 9:10 am sparked panic in the market.

Brigadier General Bambang Darmono, deputy chief of the Aceh military operations, told journalists later that the three explosions were caused by bombs dropped from airforce aircraft.—AFP