'Emergency' situation on India-Myanmar border: Intel inputs

The Myanmar Army is set to impose emergency in its Rakhine state to launch a big operation against insurgent group, the Arakan Army, intelligence sources said.

The move can be taken any time as the Arakan Army had set up several camps comprising of about 1,000 cadres in areas across Mizoram's Lawngtalai district. These areas cut across the Kaladan multi-modal transit transport project and the insurgents posed a threat to it.

In view of Arakan Army's activities, the armies of India and Myanmar recently concluded a coordinated operation from February 17 to March 2.

Besides the Arakan Army, the operation targeted the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang, a northeastern insurgent group notorious for attacks against the Indian Army, and having hideouts in Myanmar.

According to a defence source, over 3,000 Arakan Army cadres, in last few months, have been trained by another Myanmar insurgent group, the Kachin Independence Army, in Myanmar's Kachin area which borders China's Yunan province. Both the groups are part of a coalition of insurgent groups called the Northern Alliance, which are believed to be supported by China.

The source said that the Arakan Army is specially being trained on setting up of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and that the group since 2017 has increased its movement towards south Myanmar despite having their bases mostly towards the north of the country.

It is belived that the group have setup over a dozen camps across the International Border with India in Myanmar last year. While Rakhine borders Bangaladesh, the Indian border in Mizoram is not far off.

As per the intelligence input, the Arakan Army has also been planning to infiltrate into India.

--IANS

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