Five militants killed in past 24 hours in Meghalaya

Five militants have been killed in the past 24 hours in the insurgency-ridden Garo Hills region in Meghalaya, including two ASAK militants killed in North Garo Hills bordering Assam, a top police official said Friday.

"Two ASAK (A'chik Songna An'pachakgipa Kotok) militants were killed and six others managed to escape in a fierce gunfight with the Army and Meghalaya Police at Soba Jambal village under Mendipathar police station," Inspector General of Police in-charge of Operations, G.H.P. Raju, told IANS.

Soba Jambal village, bordering Assam's Goalpara district, is about 280 Km from here.

Two 7.65-mm pistols, three grenades are among the material recovered from the encounter site, the police official said.

Raju said the pre-dawn raid was carried out by a joint team of the Army and Meghalaya police after specific inputs received by the Army about the presence of ASAK militants at Soba Jambal village.

Three militants - two from GNLA and one from ULFA - were killed when security forces busted their makeshift camp at Songma Enggok area in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district.