Security forces deployed in remote Tuensang district of Nagaland on Sunday gunned down four militants belonging to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) faction led by its commanders Khole Konyak and Kitovi Zhimoni, known as NSCN-KK.
Interestingly, the faction led by Khole Konyak and Kitovi Zhimoni had been in ceasefire agreement with the Government of India since 2012.
Sources in the Assam Rifles said that the incident took place around 4 am on the outskirts of Shamator, a small township in Tuensang district that borders Myanmar in the eastern part of Nagaland.
“We launched an operation on Sunday morning in and around Shamator in search of the anti-talk faction of the NSCN rebels (NSCN-K). There were information about the movement of NSCN-K cadres in the area. However, during operation some militants fired at security forces leading to retaliatory fire,” said the AR officials while adding that four cadres were killed during the operation.
He said that one AK series rifle, one M 16 rifle, two .303 rifles and some live ammunition were also recovered from the slain cadres.
However, the slain cadres were later turned out to be members of NSCN faction led by Khole Konyak and Kitovi Zhimoni, currently observing ceasefire.
The cadres belonging to ceasefire factions are not permitted to move around with arms and ammunition in public places and that they are supposed to restrict themselves to the designated camps of the outfit.
The Shamator sub-division and Noklak areas in Tuensang have been infested by militants belonging to the anti-talk NSCN faction due to its proximity to the Indo-Myanmar border. The Tuensang district along in Nagaland share about 180 kms border with Myanmar.