Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 23, 2009:
Seven personnel including one Major and one Captain (Medical Officer) of 43 Assam Rifles were killed today when cadres of United National Liberation Front (UNLF) laid two ambushes on the troops at Old Somtal area in interior Chandel district.
A highly reliable source said that two of the killed in the second ambush were cadres of United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF).
But the report was not officially confirmed till the time of filing this report.
The first ambush that killed five troopers of 43 Assam Rifles took place at about 5 am near the Old Somtal village.
The rebels ambushed the AR troops who were patrolling in a Gypsy.
The dead bodies of Major Bupendra Mehra, Medical Officer, Captain Dr Ravindra Kumar and three soldiers identified as Havildar Parwar, riflemen Narayan Singh and Ajoy Singh have been brought to Imphal and kept at RIMS morgue for official procedures this afternoon.
The rebels also ambushed the reinforcement troops of Assam Rifles rushing to the ambush site around noon.
In the ambush two more persons were killed, police reports here added.
Highly reliable sources said that the two killed in the second ambush were cadres of UKLF who were going together with the AR troops.
But there were no official confirmation or denial.
Loss of weapons on the AR side and injuries on the attackers' site could not be confirmed immediately.
But sources said that UNLF cadres have collected weapons from the slain AR troopers in the first ambush.
The area where the attack took place located not so far away from the international border.
UNLF dominated the area till Army claimed flushing out them and free from their presence in December 2007 .
Apart from UNLF running its camp in the area before army launched operation, UKLF camp also located nearby.
Army authorities have been claiming flushing out all rebels camping and taking shelters at Somtal and Sajik Tampak areas in the last part of December 2007 .
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The attack on the Assam Rifles was two days after the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (IGAR, South), AK Choudhary had claimed that insurgency in Manipur has been put under control.
On Saturday last, IGAR (S) AK Choudhary speaking on the Assam Rifles role in curbing insurgency in Manipur, claimed that insurgency in the state has been curbed.
No area of the state his under their domination.
Militants could not move freely in the operational areas of the IGAR (S) or open permanent camps.
The IGAR (S) covers Ukhrul, Chandel, Imphal east and west districts of Manipur, Choudhary had added.