Two soldiers killed as Assam Rifles convoy ambushed in Arunachal

Two soldiers were killed and eight others injured as militants, believed to be from the banned Naga outfit NSCN-K, ambushed a convoy of the Assam Rifles along the India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, a defence spokesman said.

An Assam Rifle spokesman said the attack took place at Nginu village in Tirap district, in the radius of 20 kms from the border.

"Soldiers belonging to the 16 Assam Rifles were returning from a patrol when the heavily armed militants fired at them. While two of them including a JCO (junior commissioner officer) died, eight others were injured. The condition of two of them are stated to be serious," the spokesman said adding more forces have been sent to launch counter-insurgency operations in and around the area.

"We believe it to be handiwork of anti-talk faction, Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang militants who have some presence in Tirap district.

On November 19, a combined team of the NSCN-K and the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) had carried out an ambush on Army personnel in Assam's Tinsukia district, killing three soldiers and injuring four others.

After this attack, the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW), which is a joint platform of all the northeastern militant outfits ambushed a group of commandos of 21 Para in Chandel district of Manipur on November 26, injuring five soldiers.

--IANS

ah/vd