Manipur's 1,463-km unfenced border with Myanmar has been sealed and the Army and paramilitary forces have launched a major counter-offensive against the militants, who ambushed and killed 18 jawans in Chandel district of Manipur on Thursday. Aided by paramilitary forces, the Army is carrying out seek and destroy missions besides combing operations and area domination in the district.
The deadly attack by militants on the jawans of the Dogra Regiment was the handiwork of a 50-strong joint group comprising cadres from NSCN(K), Kanglei Yawol Kanna lup(KYKl) and Kanglapak Communist Party (KCP).
The well-trained militants had planned the ambush meticulously and after triggering the landmine when the four-vehicle convoy reached the spot between Paralong and Charong villages in Chandel district fired rockets and grenades besides heavy automatic weapons fire from vantage positions on the hills along the road.
While most of the soldiers of the 50-strong military convoy were burnt to death due to the blast, others who managed to jump out the burning vehicles were shot by militants, officials said in New Delhi. The injured soldiers took some time to regroup and retaliated and one insurgent was also reportedly killed in the ensuing gunfight. The militants took away his body and escaped in thick jungles surrounding the ambush site.
Nearly all the Manipur and Nagaland militant outfits have training camps in Myanmar and take refuge after carrying out terror strikes in India. Incidentally, the ambush site is 15 to 20 km from the porous international border and militants, who are well versed with the terrain, can cover this distance in the jungles in a few hours.
Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag rushed to Manipur on Friday and took stock of the security situation with 3 Corps commanders besides the preparations for counter-offensive. He also undertook an aerial visit to the Chandel district where the ambush took place. Suhag later briefed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar about the strategy to deal with militants after returning to New Delhi.
Highly placed official source in the Manipur Home department said on Friday the State Government had already sounded an alert across the State and asked the police forces to remain vigilant to prevent any attempt of the NSCN(K) and other State-based militant outfits to carry out subversive attacks on civilians and security forces.
“The biggest advantage for the militants is that they can easily enter the Myanmar territory after committing subversive activities here -- it's only about four hours trek for the militants. However, our security forces cannot enter without official sanction from the neighbouring country,” said the official, adding that they have urged the Central Government to take up the issue with Mynamar at diplomatic level.
As regards the alliance between the Naga and Manipur-based militant groups, the official said NSCN(K) rules over the other militant outfits in Manipur due to its fire power and also the fact that it controls the illegal trade of arms in the region.
Moreover, most of the militant outfits in the region train their cadres in NSCN(K) camps in Myanmar-which gives the NSCN (K) an edge over others. The Naga militant faction has also substantial presence in the Naga-dominated areas of Manipur, including Chandel and Ukhrul districts.
NSCN(K) abrogated ceasefire agreement with the Central Government in March and had carried out three attacks on the Army and Assam Rifles in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and now Manipur.
The soldiers killed in the ambush were in the age group of 26 to 39 years. While the body of Jeetendra Kumar Kushwaha, 26, was brought to New Delhi on Friday and later flown to his home town in Rewa (Madhya Pradesh) in a commercial flight, the remaining 17 bodies will be sent to their homes Il-76 aircraft on Saturday.
The Defence Minister and the Army Chief will pay last respect to the fallen soldiers in New Delhi.
While dead soldiers included six from Jammu & Kashmir, seven from Himachal Pradesh, two from Uttar Pradesh and one each from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka. The names are as follows: Naib Subedar Ram Singh, 39, (Samba, Jammu), Havaldar Parkash Chand, 36, (Mandi, HP), Havaldar Sat Pal Bhasin,39, Jammu, Havaldar Sunil Kumar Sharma,33, (Rajouri, Jammu), Havaldar Rajesh Kumar, 34, (Bilaspur, HP), Havaldar Randeep Singh, 38,(Jammu), Naik Ashok Kumar, 35,( Sirmour,HP), lance Naik Rajneesh Singh, 34,( Kangra,HP), Sepoy Ram Prasad Yadav, 39,(Faizabad,UP), lance Naik Kuldep Raj, 33, Jammu, Sepoy Manoj Kumar, 31, (Mandi, HP), Sepoy Vijay Kumar, 27,( Jammu), Sepoy Vikas Bhardwaj, 26, (Mandi, HP), Sepoy Sohan Singh, 26, (Sirmour,HP), Bharateshwar P, 31,(Belgaum, Karnataka), Sepoy Jeetendra Kumar Kushwaha, 26,( Rewa,MP), Havaldar Jagveer Singh, 39,(GB Nagar, UP) and Sepoy Manjit Singh, 26,(Pathankot, Punjab).