Atlas of Battles

campaign, Cold War

Operation Cahaya

Operation Cahaya was a campaign fought in 1978 at Matebian, in what is now Timor-Leste. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Matebian. It was part of the Cold War, which ran from 1945 to 1991. The recorded result: Indonesian victory. Recorded strength: 5 OV-10 Bronco; 3 F-5; 2 A-4 Skyhawk; 13 Battalions from Kostrad against Thousands of soldiers.

See it on the globe Read the article

Fought1978
WhereMatebian, Timor-Leste8.641S, 126.597E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeIndonesian victory
BelligerentsIndonesiaagainstFRETILIN
Casualties and lossesUnknownandHundreds of soldiers were killed
Part ofCold WarIndonesian occupation of East Timor

Where it sits in the Cold War

Operation Jungle, 1949Battle of Chamdo, 1950Air battle over Merklín, 1953Battle for Czechoslovak Radio, 1968Operation Nimbus Moon, 1974Operation Cahaya, 19781985 MOVE bombing, 19851986 United States bombing of Libya, 1986Gulf of Sidra incident, 198919491989Operation Cahaya, 1978
9 placed engagements of the Cold War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1978 (year precision)
to 1978
PlaceMatebian, Timor-Leste
8.641S, 126.597E
KindCampaign, Cold War
Strength5 OV-10 Bronco; 3 F-5; 2 A-4 Skyhawk; 13 Battalions from KostradThousands of soldiers
Casualties and lossesUnknownHundreds of soldiers were killed; Many civilians killed by the bombing
Commanders
  • Mohammad Jusuf
  • Nicolau Lobato
Operation CahayaOperation CahayaDili100 km8.641S, 126.597E
Placed at Matebian; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1978

Operation Cahaya is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 8 in present-day Timor-Leste.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q133865028, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Cahaya, revision 1370631217, read 2026-11-15, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.