Attack on NSCN-K left 30 dead: Indian Army’s zero toleration policy towards infiltration

This is the second such strike that India has carried out along the same border.

The encounter carried out by the Indian Army against the NSCN-K shows that the forces have adopted a zero tolerance policy towards insurgency. The aggression with which the strike was carried out shows that the Army is not prepared to go easy on infiltrations. The NSCN-K has been on the downward swing since the Army hit its based two years back following the Manipur attack, the outfit carried out. Moreover the death of its chief S Khaplang has also demoralised the outfit a great deal.

The Army was informed by the Intelligence Bureau about the movement of the NSCN-K cadres. They were attempting a major infiltration bid and had even set up camps at the border. The Army waited for them to cross over before launching a major attack on them in which 30 cadres were killed.

The Army made it clear that it was not a surgical strike.

There were hideouts that were set up over the past month and the plan was to cross the border and carry out big strikes. Attempts were even made to divert the attention of the Army which is busy handling the Rohingya crisis along the same border.

The strike was carried out by a team of the India Para Commandos and severe damage was inflicted on the Naga insurgent group.

Heavy casualties had been inflicted on the cadres of the dreaded terrorist group, NSCN-K, officials also said. Officials however clarified that this was an operation and not a surgical strike. The operation was carried out close to the Langkhu village near the Indo-Myanmar border.

Officials also said that the attack was carried out at around 4.45 am today. Further reports of casualties on the Indian side is wrong, the Army also clarified. Officials also said that it was a firefight that occurred and the specific intention of the attack was to target the hideouts.

The Army reiterated that it had not crossed the international border to carry out this operation. A couple of days back there were concrete intelligence inputs regarding the building up of hideouts along the border. Officials said that the hideouts had begun to mushroom since the past week and there was a concrete plan by the NSCN-K cadres to carry out a strike in India.

Army officials had been keeping a track on these hideouts and also the movements of the cadres and struck this morning. Severe damage and heavy casualty has been inflicted and many may have been pushed back, sources also say.

This is the second such strike that India has carried out along the same border. In June 2015, the Army had targeted the NSCN-K group days after it had killed 18 Indian soldiers in Manipur.

Officials say that they swooped in on the camps before dawn and sprung a surprise. At least 30 hideouts were destroyed in the operation, officials also said.

OneIndia News