JAKARTA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian soldiers will take over construction in Nduga district of Papua province in eastern Indonesia in the wake of brutal assassination of 16 construction workers by an armed group earlier this month, a military officer said.

Indonesian armed force will resume works of PT Istaka Karya construction firm in building the 4,000 km trans-Papua highway and bridges, Indonesian military commander in the district Jonathan B. Parluhutan revealed.

About 500 military personnel along with scores of extra troop assigned to secure the works will be dispatched to Nduga district, the commander said.

"May be in one or two weeks ahead, the armed force personnel will commence to enter the area (the district) and next week the equipment will be sent to the site. So that the works will resume in the next 3 weeks," Paluhutan said.

President Joko Widodo has vowed that the construction of infrastructure projects in Papua province will continue, despite the violence.

A total of 16 construction workers were taken hostage by the armed group and killed brutally in the district early this month, national police chief General Muhammad Tito Karnavian has said. The police and armed force are hunting the group in remote Papua, he added. Enditem

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