Indian Army conducts ops along Myanmar border, inflicts 'significant casualties' on militants
Major Gen Randhir Singh addressed the media on Tuesday regarding an Indian Army operation along the Indo-Myanmar border. (ANI Photo)
The army carried out strikes on Tuesday along the India-Myanmar border against militants involved in last week’s deadly
ambush that killed 18 soldiers in Manipur’s Chandel district after receiving intelligence of further insurgent offensives in Indian territory.
Army spokesperson Major General Ranbir Singh said imminent threats from insurgents were thwarted by forces at two locations in Nagaland and Manipur along the porous Indo-Myanmar border.
“Based on intelligence, we conducted operations to counter these planned assault. Early this morning, the Indian Army engaged two separate groups of insurgents along the Indo-Myanmar border at two locations. Significant casualties have been inflicted on them. As a consequence, threats to our civilian population and security forces were averted,” said an army statement, tweeted by the defence ministry spokesperson. (This is IA spokes person's statement in that it was not mentioned the operations have taken place inside Myanmar)
Several media reports suggested that the strikes were carried out inside the Myanmar territory, but there was no official confirmation.
Security personnel had launched a massive combing operation in the remote mountainous forests close to Myanmar after a Dogra regiment convoy was attacked on June 4 by guerrillas with rocket-propelled grenades and improvised explosive devices, barely 15km from the border. The government had asked the army to respond with full might to the attack, the worst in nearly three decades, amid fears that the rebels had crossed over to Myanmar.
HT had
reported on Saturday that India was likely to seek Myanmar’s help to track down the militants, a fact confirmed by the army statement.
“We are in communication with the Myanmar authorities on this matter. There is a history of close cooperation between our two militaries. We look forward to working with them to combat such terrorism,” the statement read.
A group of around 25 men from the NSCN-Khaplang group along with fighters of the Meitei terrorist group Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) had carried out the deadly ambush on soldiers, security sources said, indicating a possible intelligence failure.
“While ensuring peace and tranquillity along the border and in the border states, any threat to our security, safety and national integrity will meet with a firm response,” the statement said on Tuesday.
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