NEW DELHI: Two NSCN(K) terror camps were destroyed and over three dozen militants killed on Tuesday in a hot pursuit along the India-Myanmar border by the Army’s Special Operations Forces targeting militants responsible for last week’s ambush on an Army convoy in Manipur that claimed the lives of 18 soldiers of the 6 Dogra regiment.
According to top sources, the strike was a rare example of the Army, intelligence and Assam Rifles’ operational manoeuvre at two places within Indian territory and a hot pursuit deep in the Myanmar area to destroy the outfit’s transit camps. Besides, the intelligence-backed operation was also launched in Manipur and Nagaland to neutralise the militants.
“We are yet to receive the exact number of militants killed in the operation but it could be more than 40. A huge cache of arms and ammunition at the militant outfit’s hideout was destroyed during the strike. No special forces personnel were injured and all were safely extricated after the operation. We are determined to hunt down and neutralise the militants,” said a top source.
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The Army had received solid inputs suggesting that the militants had crossed over to Myanmar after carrying out the ambush, which happened barely 15 km from the Indo-Myanmar border.
It also claimed that following the June 4 attack, it was on a state of high alert. “In the last few days, credible and specific intelligence was received about further attacks being planned within our territory. These attacks were to be carried out by some of the groups involved in the earlier attack on our security personnel and their allies,” Major General Ranbir Singh, Additional Director General of Military Operations told the media at the Army headquarters in South Block.
Sources said that during the operation, a group of Special Forces commandoes were air-dropped in the forest using the Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 helicopters.
“We are in touch with the Myanmar authorities in this matter. There is a history of close cooperation between two militaries and we look forward to working with them to combat such terrorism,” Singh said. He asserted that “any threat to our security, safety and national integrity will meet a firm response” while ensuring peace and tranquillity along the border.