Source: The Sangai Express
Dimapur, March 30 (NNN):
About 15 NSCN cadres belonging to both the factions have been killed in the last four days in Nagaland alone.
Yesterday itself six cadres were killed in Nagaland�s Tuensang district in the escalating factional fight between the NSCN-IM and the NSCN-K/FGN.
Earlier there had been a series of gun battle in Nagaland�s Zunheboto district leaving at least 15 cadres of the NSCN factions dead.
In the wake of fierce factional gunfights in several parts of the State triggering fear of large-scale bloodshed, the GPRN/NSCN (IM) on Wednesday asserted that it was ready to confront challenges from any quarters in order to protect the present peace process from those who were trying to undo what the Nagas had achieved over a period of half a century.
A press release issued by the ministry of information and publicity, GPRN/NSCN (IM), informed all concerned that at this crucial juncture when the peace process was on, the focal point was to find a negotiated settlement of the decades-old Indo-Naga issue and therefore it would be "ill-advised and a great mistake" on the part of the Government to keep on tolerating anti-national elements who had been "sabotaging and standing in the way to final solution".
"The mandate and aspirations of the Naga people must be defended at all cost.
We cannot allow this propitious moment abandoned and let the nation perish because of a few disgruntled and desperadoes", it said adding in order to translate the mandate of the Naga people into reality the NSCN (IM) was duty-bound to create a conducive atmosphere since safeguarding the interest of the peace process was above everything at this crucial period of time.
The NSCN (IM) also made it clear that it was against fighting or for that matter any form of confrontation but said if fighting was inevitable it would never run away.