 "Indian Army inflicts heavy casualties on Naga militants along India-Myanmar border in retaliatory firing")
In what is being seen as a major achievement for the Indian security forces, Naga militants along the India-Myanmar border were attacked by the army early on Wednesday, according to reports. The Eastern Command of the Indian Army tweeted that heavy casualties have reportedly been inflicted on the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants but there has been no casualty on the Indian forces.
Heavy casualties reportedly inflicted on NSCN(K) cadre. No casualties suffered by Indian Security Forces
— EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
The official statement said that a column of Indian Army was attacked by unidentified insurgents on Wednesday morning and the troops reacted swiftly. “As per inputs, a large number of casualties were suffered by the insurgents,” the statement read while reiterating that Indian troops did not cross the international border.
Detailed statement attached pic.twitter.com/nbLYMLCqxQ
— EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) September 27, 2017
The operation reportedly happened at 4.45 am and sources told News18 that around 70 para-commandos were involved. However, official sources added that Wednesday’s operation cannot be called a ‘surgical strike’. This is the second such operation in a month. One NSCN-K militant was killed and an army jawan was injured in an anti-terror operation along the border in Arunachal Pradesh on 4 September. The NSCN-K is led by Myanmar-based SS Khaplang and Khole Konyak. Khaplang, however, passed away at the age of 77 in June last year. Khaplang had also entered into a ceasefire with the central government in 1997 but abrogated it on 28 March, 2015. NSCN split into two factions, NSCN (Isak Muivah) and NSCN (K) after a violent clash in 1988, according to this Indian Express report. In August 2015, the Centre under Narendra Modi and the NSCN (IM) signed a landmark peace accord which indefinitely extended the ceasefire between the two. The signing of the pact is the culmination of over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with the first breakthrough coming in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed.
