NEW DELHI: In one of the deadliest attacks on the Army in recent years, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) and NSCN (K) National Socialist Council of Nagaland—Khaplang rebels ambushed a military convoy in Manipur on Thursday, killing 21 Armymen, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), and injuring 16 others.
Defence sources said the attack was carried out near Moltuk village, about 110 km from Imphal, in Chandel district, around 8 am.
“Twenty one personnel, including a JCO, were killed, while 16 others were injured. The injured were airlifted to Imphal and admitted to Leimakong Hospital,” a senior Army officer told Express.
“It was a four-vehicle administrative convoy of 6 Dogra Regiment, which was traveling from Chandel to Imphal. First blasts happened from a highly explosive IED, which was planted on the road, then militants fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), followed by indiscriminate firing from automatic weapons.
Most of the bodies were charred. Probably, the RPGs had hit the fuel tank, which caused an inferno,” the official said. “We feel the militants have sneaked into Myanmar,” the official added. The Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur has been closed to stop the militants fleeing to the neighbouring country. Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his tweet, described it as “very distressing” the “mindless” attack. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar assured that those who committed the “cowardly act” would be brought to book.