Imphal, January 11: The proscribed UNLF has dismissed the claim of success made by the IG AR (S) in Operation Somtal II as a fabricated and misleading propaganda.

A statement issued by the outfit's Senior Publicity Officer Ksh Yoiheiba while detailing the sequence of events of Operation Samtal II launched since November 18 last year, asserted that top AR/Army officers in the initial stage of the operation boasted that they would take control of Somtal and Dingpi areas by December 15 last.

But they (security forces) have failed miserably to achieve their goal till date.

Yet Yoiheiba acknowledged the AR claim that security forces have advanced up to New Somtal on January 7 and reached Molcham on January 9.However, the security forces are not divulging the number of deaths and casualties on their part since Operational Samtal II was launched.

The AR authority did not disclose one death and one injury suffered by security forces during a gun fight with MPA on January 9, Yoiheiba alleged.

On the part of the MPA, it suffered only one death that of Sgt Maj Khuntakpa and some minor injuries to two other cadres in the whole operation as against 20 deaths suffered by security forces, claimed Yoiheiba.

Just to boost the sagging morale of security personnel and to please their senior officers, the security forces have been issuing false statements by claiming that only 20 personnel suffered injuries while 13 MPA cadres have been killed and 195 IEDs neutralised, the UNLF contended.

Reiterating that MPA did not use IEDs in the battles of Somtal, the outfit questioned how many of the 20 security personnel who sustained injuries have succumbed or whether they recovered any corpse of MPA cadres.

Another baseless propaganda of the security forces was that 5 MPA cadre have deserted their camp with weapons, Yoiheiba said while asserting that such security personnel adept in fake wars and false propaganda are the ones honoured with gallantry awards.

The deceitful attitude of security forces was well demonstrated during the Kargil War when some security personnel claimed that they had eliminated terrorists by pouring tomato sauce over dead bodies.

Further, the practice of dressing up civilians in combat fatigue after killing them in cold blood to accuse the victims of being UG cadres and luring youths to pose as surrenderee with the false promise of providing them jobs are some of the common deceitful practices in which the security forces are well versed, alleged Yoiheiba.

Even as the Hqs of MPA 293 Bn A Coy have fallen into the hands of security forces, the security forces will not allowed to rest in peace, pledged the outfit.

As Laijang and Molcham are just 10 minutes drive from the metalled road to Kalemyo in Myanmar, the MPA cadres are suffering from severe handicap in taking positions in the terrain.

At present, Hqs of MPA 293 Bn have been shifted to a more elevated position.

Despite incessant targeting by security forces, 293 Bn Hqs remains intact and unaffected, asserted Yoiheiba.

Stating that the whole length and breadth of Manipur is a battle field, the outfit declared that it will launch attacks on security forces at any time, anywhere according to convenience.

The UNLF/MPA also hailed the endurance of the local villagers who have been suffering the brunt of the ongoing armed conflict.

On the other hand, the outfit clarified that Thounaojam Thingel alias Mangi s/o Th Kula of Konthoujam Lamkhai arrested by police on the charge of being its activist has already been dismissed from the UNLF/MPA in 2005.

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