After carrying out counter-offensive against insurgents inside Myanmar following the deadly ambush on its convoy on June 4 in Manipur, the Indian Army has not ruled out more “surgical strikes” on NSCN(K) militants in Myanmar.
Given the political nod for “hot pursuit” and cross-border raids, the Army is likely to target some of the bigger terrorist training camps in Myanmar as there are nearly 15 such camps active now. NSCN(K), which claimed the responsibility for the June 4 ambush, is based in Myanmar and its top leadership reside there. Most of other insurgent groups of Manipur like KYKl and KlA too have bases in Myanmar.
NSCN(K) abrogated ceasefire agreement with the Central Government in April this year and has so far killed 30 Army and Assam Rifles soldiers in three different attacks in the last one and half month. Now, the Government has given a free hand to the Army and paramilitary to deal with the challenge, sources said.
With KYKl and KlA too joining hands with NSCN(K) to wage war against Indian security forces, they are now going all out against the Manipur insurgent groups, sources said, adding that combing operations are on in several districts of Manipur and Nagaland.
Security forces are carrying out aggressive patrolling and area domination exercise to deprive militants time and space to operate. Moreover, “seek and destroy” missions, based on real time intelligence, are on to neutralise militants in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
Having sealed the 1,453-km long International Border with Myanmar a day after the ambush, the security forces are now trying to flush out militants who have taken refuge in thick jungles, sources said.
Admitting that tracking down militants in such terrain is a tough task, sources said insurgents train in these jungles on both sides of the International Border and escape into the neighbouring country after terrorist strikes.
India has time and again urged the Myanmar Army and the Government to take action against insurgents on its soil and signed an agreement called India-Myanmar Border Agreement in 2014 in this regard. Soon after NSCN(K) called off the ceasefire, the Myanmar Army, on the request of Indian Government, raided one of the main camps of the insurgent group in Taga. The militants, however, managed to escape. In the past too, Myanmar has helped India in action against the militants by conducting joint operations against the militants in 1995 and 2001.
The unprecedented surgical strikes by the Army against the insurgents groups in Myanmar were necessitated due to the sophistication and capabilities acquired by the rebels operating in the North-east. They have acquired advanced assault rifles, rocket and grenade launchers and are developing helipads at their camps across the border.
Sources in the security establishment said at least seven of the nearly 20 camps of NSCN(K) in Mynamar are equipped with helipads, a clear pointer to the scale of preparedness and support being extended to the insurgent groups by foreign intelligence agencies --- Pakistan’s ISI and China’s snooping body.
Each camp with an estimated strength of 35-45 highly trained insurgents is involved in opium cultivation and gunrunning with support from the Chinese army. ISI and China’s snooping body are providing covert support to the group in terms of planning operations against the security forces in India and training and equipping them with sophisticated weaponry.
“Flush with funds from opium trade, extortion, gunrunning and financial support from foreign intelligence agencies, the insurgents have developed an elaborate network of informers in the North-east with an ulterior motive to target the security forces and cripple the democratic institutions,” a senior Intelligence official said.