Assam Rifles heightens vigil along India-Myanmar border after Manipur encounter

Imphal, May 16 (IANS) The Assam Rifles has intensified its surveillance along the India-Myanmar border in Manipur in the wake of the intensive counter-insurgency operations in Chandel district, in which ten armed militants were neutralised and a huge cache of arms and ammunition recovered, officials said on Friday.

A defence spokesman, giving details of the Wednesday encounter, said that a patrol of the Assam Rifles was fired upon heavily by suspected cadres near New Samtal village, along the Myanmar border, in Chandel.

Demonstrating exceptional composure and combat readiness, the troopers responded in a precise, measured, and calibrated manner, and the operation resulted in the neutralisation of ten individuals in camouflage fatigues, the spokesman said.

Preliminary assessments suggest that the neutralised individuals were known for involvement in cross-border insurgent activity, and efforts are underway to confirm their identities, he added.

A thorough combing operation of the area was carried out, wherein a significant cache of weapons and other material was recovered from the New Samtal village, which is 130 km from the state capital and has scant human habitation. The cache comprised seven AK-47 rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a M4 rifle, and four single-barrel breech-loading (SBBL) rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores.

The situation along the India-Myanmar border remains under heightened surveillance, the spokesman said, adding that the security forces are maintaining a robust posture and are in coordination with civil administration and intelligence agencies to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Wednesday’s operation against the militants is one of the major counter-insurgency operations after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3, 2023, between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribals.

Mountainous Chandel district is inhabited by tribals of different ethnic groups, including Nagas.

Manipur has a 398-km-long unfenced International Border with Myanmar and the Border Road Organisation (BRO) started work last year to fence the challenging frontiers.

Meanwhile, in separate developments, security forces during the past 24 hours have arrested eight more militants belonging to various banned militant outfits from different districts of Manipur.

A police official said that the eight ultras were arrested from Thoubal and Imphal East districts, and belong to the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), and United People’s Party of Kangleipak (UPPK).

According to the police official, the arrested militants were involved in abduction, various crimes, forcible collection of money from contractors, traders, government employees, common men and others. Some arms and ammunition, Aadhaar cards, some incriminating documents and various other materials were recovered from the 14 arrested militants. The combined security forces have continued search operations and area domination in the fringe and vulnerable areas of hill and valley districts.

--IANS

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