2 Assam Rifles jawans injured in gunfight with militants

PTI, Aug 15, 2022, 2:56 PM IST

Representational Image

Kohima: At least two jawans of the Assam Rifles were injured in a gunfight with militants of NSCN-K (Yung Aung) in Nagaland’s Mon district in the early hours of Monday, officials said.

The incident happened around 2.35 am in Nyasa village in Phomching area of the district along the inter-state boundary with Arunachal Pradesh, they said.

In wake of heightened security in the run-up to Independence Day, troops of the Assam Rifles were proactively dominating the sensitive areas with a deployment posture designed to thwart any unwarranted attempt by the insurgent groups to disrupt peace in the region, the force said in a statement.

Acting on a tip-off about the movement of militants, the troops laid multiple ambushes to dominate the area, it added.

Around 2.35 am, the alert personnel noticed suspicious movement on a jungle track between Zankham to Nyasa, the Assam Rifles said.

On being intercepted, the militants opened fire, which was appropriately retaliated, causing severe casualties in the militant group, it said.

Two Assam Rifles’ jawans sustained injuries and were evacuated to the Jorhat Air Force Hospital for further treatment, it said.

They were evacuated with the help of local villagers, who have provided all the support to the security forces, the force claimed.

Search operations in the area are underway, it said.

Mon’s Deputy Commissioner Ajit Kumar Verma told PTI that the administration is yet to receive any report of casualties on the other side.

The situation is now normal and the Independence Day celebrations have been peaceful, he said.

The Yung Aung faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) has Nagas mostly from Myanmar, and the group is active in some eastern districts of Arunachal Pradesh.