Indonesia's military began pulling more soldiers from Aceh province on Saturday in the third stage of a peace pact ending a war between the government and separatists that has killed 15,000 people. Under the Aug. 15 pact, rebels from the Free Aceh Movement need to surrender 840 weapons to peace monitors by the end of the year during four phases while Indonesia, which had 30,000 soldiers and 15,000 policemen in Aceh before the truce, is required to trim its forces to no more than 14,700 soldiers and 9,100 police. Around 2,500 soldiers will leave Aceh on Saturday, an Aceh-based military spokesman said, adding they were part of the 5,700 soldiers and 1,350 policemen who will depart the province on the northern tip of Sumatra island during the third of four withdrawal stages. The third withdrawal stage will be concluded next Friday, Reuters quoted Lieutenant-Colonel Erie Soetiko as saying.
