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Itanagar, October 22 (IANS) A self-styled Sergeant Major, a suspected United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I), was killed by the Army and Assam Rifles in a joint operation in Arunachal Pradesh’s Namsai district on Wednesday. The officers provided this information.
A defense spokesperson said an operation was launched by Army and Assam Rifles units on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday and contact was then established with the terrorists in 6 Mile Lekang Khampti areas of Namsai district.
A search conducted after first light found the body of a militant, identified as self-styled Sergeant Major Ivon Axom of ULFA-I. A rifle, one rocket propelled grenade (RPG) round and three rucksacks were recovered from the spot along with the body of the terrorist.
The spokesperson said that, following the recovery of the terrorist’s body and arms and ammunition, the operation was further intensified and is still ongoing. Additional contingents of security forces along with contingents of state police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have also been deployed.
The operation underlined the tireless efforts of the security forces to maintain peace and prevent any hostile activities along the Assam-Arunachal border, where intermittent activities by terrorist organizations have been recorded in recent months.
Sources said the group of suspected ULFA-I terrorists belonged to the same group that had attacked the Army COB at Kakopathar in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district on October 17.
The slain terrorist, Ivon Axom, is suspected to be involved in the October 17 attack in which three Army soldiers sustained minor injuries after terrorists fired at the camp from a moving vehicle and threw a grenade.
“Troops on duty responded quickly and effectively, taking appropriate precautions to avoid damage to nearby civilian homes,” it said in a statement.
It said the firing continued for several minutes before the attackers fled the area under pressure from the army in retaliation.
–IANS
SC/DPB