Two AR personnel injured in shootout

At least two Assam Rifles (AR) personnel were injured in a shootout Monday morning between the AR and suspected militants belonging to banned Yung Aung led Khaplang faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K-YA) in Nagaland’s Mon district.

At around 2:35AM on 15 August, alert AR scouts noticed suspicious movement of underground (UG) militants on a jungle track coming from Zankham to Nyasa near interstate border between Mon district of Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

“On being challenged by own troops, the UGs opened fire which was appropriately retaliated causing severe casualties to the UG group. Two Assam Rifles’ soldiers also sustained injuries; they have been evacuated to Jorhat Air Force Hospital for further treatment,” public relations officer (defence) Kohima Lt. Col. Sumit K Sharma said in the statement.

Security sources informed that there were 10 to 15 militants who attacked the temporary operating base of AR post at Nyasa.

“Due to high alertness of the jawans, the attack was successfully thwarted,” the source told HT.

In wake of heightened security in the run up to Independence Day celebrations, troops of Assam Rifles are stated to be proactively dominating the sensitive areas with a deployment posture designed to thwart any unwarranted attempt by insurgent factions to disrupt peace in the region.

In general area Nyasa in Mon district, troops of AR laid multiple ambushes to dominate the region based on credible intelligence of movement of underground cadres, stated the defence PRO.

Last week, an AR patrol at Pangsau Pass (Changlang district) and Kunsa (Longding), and operational post in Noklak were attacked by militants of the same proscribed NSCN (K-YA) along the India-Myanmar international border in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. The attacks triggered exchanges of fire wherein a junior commissioned officer was reportedly injured.