Imphal, January 24 2009: Reacting to the claim of the Assam Rifles PRO as published in local dailies today that five UNLF/MPA cadres were eliminated in the shoot-out that reportedly took place at Khenjang on January 18, the proscribed outfit alleged that the press statement was fabricated just to cover up the casualty suffered by AR.

A press release issued by the UNLF's senior publicity officer Ksh Yoiheiba claimed that the AR troops were taken by surprise completely that they could not even retaliate before the MPA cadres retracted.

It further clarified that no MPA cadre suffered any casualty even as four AR personnel were allegedly killed in the attack.

Later, infuriated by the attack and the casualty they suffered, AR troops reportedly fired several rounds of mortars towards the border villages of Awa.

The outfit further conveyed that it received information about one civilian killed in the mortar firing while another suffered injuries.

Reiterating that the attack at the AR sentry post located a little distance away from their Khenjang camp and manned by four personnel was launched by a small recce cum fighting patrol team, the outfit claimed that security personnel posted in interior areas of hill districts remain holed up in their camps after planting landmines all around leaving aside doing patrolling exercise for fear of attack by MPA.

It further asserted that the alleged planting of landmines by security forces have put villagers of surrounding areas in great peril.