Operation Tinombala spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Hari Suprapto said the terrorists were found dead at 3:43 p.m. following a two-hour shoot-out at Mount Uwe Mayea, South Poso Pesisir. 

The dead bodies would be transported by helicopter from the mountainous area to Bhayangkara Police Hospital in Palu for identification, Hari said.

"We cannot publish their names for now, pending the identification," Hari said on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, the task force, which was patrolling in the Uwe Mayea area, spotted a group armed with rifles walking downhill to the Saatu River. They started to shoot at the group and the militants shot back, resulting in an exchange of fire.

The shoot-out ended when the militants stopped shooting at the troops from their location in the hills. The task force immediately secured the area, which led to the discovery of the two fatalities and four bags containing supplies, Hari said.

While some of the troops swept the area, the others followed the remaining MIT members who had fled to the south and west. The troops continued pursuing the militants until late on Sunday night, Hari said.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti confirmed that the militants belonged to the Santoso group.

With the deaths of two more terrorist suspects, Santoso's group has further weakened, Badrodin said.

"They are now down to 23 to 22 [members]," Badrodin said as quoted by kompas.com.

Officials have been intensifying the hunt for the MIT in recent weeks, with an additional 700 police and military personnel deployed to apprehend the group led by the so-called commander of the Islamic State (IS) movement in Indonesia. (afr/dmr)

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