Itanagar: Security forces neutralised two militants during a fierce gun battle in Arunachal Pradesh’s Longding district, bordering Myanmar, officials said on Friday.
A Defence spokesperson said that the slain militants were suspected to be from the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-K-YA) faction.
The gunfight occurred on Thursday when during the patrolling party of the security forces came under attack from militants believed to be operating across the porous India-Myanmar border in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh.
“In response, the security forces effectively retaliated against the attack,” the spokesman said, adding that during the intense firefight, the armed cadres withdrew across the International Border towards Myanmar.
The NSCN (K-YA) faction has been active in cross-border operations despite ongoing peace negotiations with various other Naga outfits including dominant faction NSCN (IM).
Meanwhile, on May 14, ten militants were killed during an encounter with the Assam Rifles in southern Manipur’s Chandel district, which shares the unfenced border with Myanmar and a large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot.
The cache comprised seven AK-47 rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a M4 rifle, and four single-barrel breech-loading rifles, ammunition and other war-like stores.
On April 27, three militants of the NSCN-K-YA faction were killed during a fierce gun battle between the security forces and the extremists in Arunachal Pradesh’s same Longding district.
Meanwhile, the Army and Assam Rifles, in coordination with the Assam Police, earlier apprehended a wanted top cadre of the NSCN-KYA from Assam’s Charaideo district.
The NSCN-K-YA has earlier served an extortion notice of Rs 20 lakh to the public sector oil major Oil India Limited (OIL).
The notice was signed by the outfit’s self-styled Major, Tha Aung and sent to OIL’s office in Manabhum, located in the Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The OIL has its operational site at the Manabhum reserve forest in eastern Arunachal, and the thickly forested reserve forest areas fall under both Changlang and Namsai districts.
On April 29, three militants of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) were killed during an encounter with the security forces in Assam’s mountainous Dima Hasao district.
However, the faction of the NSCN they belonged to is yet to be known. Two AK series rifles and a pistol were recovered from the forested areas. The NSCN-K-YA has not signed a ceasefire agreement with the Centre. Four northeastern states – Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Manipur (398 km), Nagaland (215 km) and Mizoram (510 km) — share 1,643-km unfenced border with Myanmar.
