Aceh toll keeps mounting

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Separatist violence in Indonesia's Aceh province has left 13 people dead, police and humanitarian workers said Saturday.

In the most recent violence, five people were found dead on Saturday in western Aceh, said Muslim Tanjung, an official with the Indonesian Red Cross.

Another four unidentified bodies were also found on Friday in various parts of the province, on the northern tip of Sumatra Island, said other Indonesian Red Cross officials.

Police Lt. Col. Sad Harun said a further three bodies were found, also on Friday, in different locations.

All the bodies had gunshot wounds.

Harun said security forces also shot a rebel to death during a raid on an illegal gun-making factory.

Fighting between government troops and rebels demanding independence for oil- and gas-rich Aceh province, about 1,750 kilometers (1,100 miles) northwest of Jakarta, has claimed more than 6,000 lives in the past decade.

Clashes have intensified recently and government forces have threatened to launch an offensive against the guerrillas.