A nice summary of recent Special Forces ops against NSCN-K. They are shown as "along" Indo-Myanmar border but make no mistake .....
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/sair/Archives/sair16/16_14.htm
In the early hours of September 27, 2017, the Indian Army’s Para Regiment commandos, inflicted heavy casualties on the Khaplang faction of National Socialist Council of Nagaland (
NSCN-K) in an operation at an unidentified location near Arunachal Pradesh’s Longding District and Nagaland’s Mon District, close to Langkhu village in Myanmar, along the India-Myanmar international border. According to reports, after getting specific intelligence inputs about a major infiltration bid by NSCN-K militants in the area, the Army waited for the militants to cross the border into Indian territory before launching a major attack in which at least 30 militants were killed. Ministry of Defence (MoD) sources said that, without the recovery of bodies, it was difficult to estimate exact casualties, but they were relying on ground reports.
Soon after the operation, the Army's Eastern Command announced that its Forces did not cross the international border and it was not a “surgical strike”. A statement on September 27, 2017 disclosed, “In the early morning hours of 27 Sep, a column of Indian Army while operating on Indo-Myanmar border was fired upon by unidentified insurgents. Own troops reacted swiftly and brought down heavy retaliatory fire on the insurgents. The insurgents then broke contact and fled from the spot. As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents. Own troops suffered no casualties during the fire fight.”
However, NSCN-K’s spokesperson/PRO (Public Relations Officer) ‘colonel’ Isak Sumi, in a
Facebookpost, claimed that “three Indian soldiers were killed and an unconfirmed number injured, but there was no casualty or injury on the Naga Army during the encounter, which happened at Langkhu village in Naga Self-Administered Zone inside Myanmar.” Further on September 28, 2017, Isak Sumi countered the Indian Army claim, asserting, “Indian Army shall learn to respect their fellow those who took martyrdom on September 27, 2017 (
sic)… History is evident that none was able to evade Naga’s security system. Hence, in future too, no enemy can evade Naga’s security to create any damage to Naga Army.”
Security Forces (SFs) had been tracking the movement of militants, especially NSCN-K’s Mobile 2 Unit led by self-styled ‘lieutenant colonel’ Bopa Wangsa along the Indo-Myanmar border and had been carrying out aggressive operations over recent months. On September 4, 2017, troops of 21 Para Special Forces and 16 Assam Rifles (AR) had launched a ‘major strike’ on NSCN-K, killing one militant, injuring another, and destroying a camp near Votnu village under Wakka circle in the Longding District of Arunachal Pradesh, along the Indo-Myanmar border. An unnamed official at Army Headquarters had then claimed "Several other militants managed to escape into the nearby dense forest because of dense fog in the area. The Special Forces recovered an AK-56, a radio set and a hand grenade, along with live bullets. During a combing operation, the forces located a camp of the rebels and destroyed it." Army Chief General Bipin Rawat later had stated later that day, "These are normal and routine operations. Such operations happen every day." The encounter site was around 15 kilometres from the Indo-Myanmar border.
Earlier, in the night of September 1,, 2017, SFs had killed a self-styled ‘corporal’ of the NSCN-K, identified as Honcham Wangsa, in an operation near Kunsa village in Longding District, along the Indo-Myanmar border. A pistol and other incriminating evidence were recovered from the slain militant. A defence source disclosed, on September 2, 2017, that SFs had carried out the operation acting on specific intelligence about NSCN-K cadres trying to exfiltrate from Indian territory into Myanmar. Other NSCN-K cadres managed to escape using the cover of darkness and bad weather.
Significantly, just five days after the June 4, 2015,
attack at Chandel in Manipur in which 18 Army personnel were killed, the Indian Army had carried out ‘surgical operations’ inside Myanmar on June 9, 2015, to target militant groups believed to be ‘responsible’ for the killing and reportedly killed ‘several’ insurgents in different militant camps there. Though there was much
initial chest-thumping by the Indian Government, after being pressurised buy the Myanmarese Government, a course correction was made. Significantly, the gallantry award (2015) citations of the heroes of the strike made no mention of the neighbouring nation (Myanmar), suggesting instead that the operation took place within Manipur and Nagaland.
The recent incidents show that vulnerabilities along the Indo-Myanmar border persist. Almost the entire area along the 1,640 kilometre-long border, which stretches across four north-eastern states – Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur – remains volatile and has witnessed deadly militant attacks on SFs in the recent past.
On April 10, 2017, Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir disclosed in the
Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) that insurgent activities in the Northeast along the Indo-Myanmar border had registered an increase compared to the Indo-Bangladesh border over the past three years. During the period 2015 to March 31, 2017, terror activities along the Indo-Myanmar border had risen alarmingly as a result of insurgents groups shifting their bases from Bangladesh to territories within Myanmar and China. According to the Minister:
The Indo-Myanmar border has been witnessing steady rise in insurgent activities during the period with as many as 206 encounters reported between militants and security personnel spread across four North-eastern States, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. While 18 security personnel lost their lives, 32 insurgents were killed in these encounters. A total 337 rebels were arrested from the international border in the four States during this period. Among the four North-eastern States sharing Myanmar border, maximum number of encounters took place in Arunachal Pradesh. As many as 81 encounters were reported in that State where three security personnel and 13 militants were killed. During this period, 114 suspected insurgents were arrested. Even in 2017, 13 encounter cases have been reported till March in Arunachal along the border with Myanmar.
Similarly, in the Northeast Security Review meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister (UHM) Rajnath Singh, held at New Delhi on May 16, 2017, it was emphasized that five contiguous Districts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland along the Indo-Myanmar border (Tirap, Changlang and Longding Districts of Arunachal; and Mon and Tuensang Districts of Nagaland) had emerged as the hub of the ‘last remaining militants’ in the Northeast. During the meeting one official stated, "The biggest advantage of these five Districts is their proximity to the NSCN-K-controlled areas of Myanmar and their highly difficult terrain, which makes patrolling a difficult task for security agencies."
According to partial data compiled by the
Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), between January 1, 2006, and October 1, 2017, there were at least 792 fatalities, including 176 civilians, 145 SF personnel and 471 militants, in 12 Districts spread across the four north-eastern States [Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland] of India that shares borders with Myanmar. In terms of such fatalities, three Manipur Districts were the worst affected: Chandel, accounting for 255 fatalities (56 civilians, 67 SF personnel and 132 militants), followed by Churachandpur, with 155 fatalities (51 civilians, 18 SF personnel and 86 militants); Ukhrul, with 134 fatalities (31 civilians, 36 SF personnel and 67 militants). The other border Districts which recorded fatalities included Tirap, 66 (2 civilians, 8 SF personnel and 56 militants); Tuensang, 47 (17 civilians and 30 militants); Mon, 46 (3 civilians, 9 SF personnel and 34 militants); Phek, 33 (5 civilians and 28 militants); Changlang, 18 (3 civilians, 3 SF personnel and 12 militants); Kiphire, 14 (1 civilian and 13 militants); Kamjong, 9 (2 civilians, 2 SF personnel and 5 militants); Longding, 8 (all militants); and Tengnoupal, 7 (5 civilians and 2 SF personnel). There are 18 Districts along the India-Myanmar border in the region, including Phek, Tuensang, Mon and Kiphire Districts in Nagaland; Tirap, Changlang, Anjaw and Longding in Arunachal Pradesh; Chandel, Ukhrul, Churachandpur, Kamjong and Tengnoupal in Manipur; and Champhai, Serchhip, Lunglei, Lawngtlai and Saiha in Mizoram. Champhai, Serchhip, Lunglei, Lawngtlai, Saiha and Anjaw recorded no such fatalities in this period. Two new Districts, Kamjong and Tengnoupal were created in December 2016, carved out from Ukhrul and Chandel Districts of Manipur, respectively.
NSCN-K lost its ‘founding chairman’ S.S. Khaplang, who
died due to prolonged illness on June 9, 2017. It nevertheless remains the biggest worry in this region. Along with the umbrella group formed under Khaplang’s leadership, the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFWESEA) was found responsible for at least 123 fatalities (seven civilians, 34 SF personnel and 82 militants) of the 572 fatalities (where the identity of the group involved has been established) out of a total 792 fatalities recorded across the Northeast region along the Indo-Myanmar border (between January 1, 2006, and October 1, 2017). Moreover, most of the
recent major attacks on SFs along the Indo-Myanmar border, including the June 4, 2015, Chandel attack, were carried out by NSCN-K and UNLFWESEA.
Most of the top NSCN-K leadership, including its new ‘chairman’ Khango Konyak, remains inside Myanmar and its operational capabilities in India’s Northeast depend heavily on their presence and safe havens in Myanmar. Out of the total estimated cadre strength of around 1,300, more than 1,000 NSCN-K cadres are sheltering in different militant camps inside Myanmar territory along the Indo-Myanmar border.
Recent attempts to fence the Indo-Myanmar border, which has no proper physical demarcation, have met with mass protests on both sides. The Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allows resident tribals along the border to move up to 16 kilometres across the boundary without restrictions, have been consistently misused by insurgents groups, and by smugglers for drugs, weapons and human trafficking.
At a time when the Northeast is witnessing
dramatic improvements in insurgency related violence, the clustering of all surviving northeast militant formations in Myanmar and the support they receive from non-state groups there, remain a major challenge for the Indian security establishment. Active engagement and close coordination between India and Myanmar are necessary of the residual threat to security and stability in India’s Northeast, as well as in West and North West Myanmar, are to be effectively neutralized.