Guwahati, Oct. 17: The army is planning a concerted counter-insurgency offensive in Assam and Tripura to ?finish off? the outlawed Ulfa and ?neutralise? the National Liberation Front of Tripura (Biswamohan) and the All Tripura Tiger Force.

Army chief General N.C. Vij, who completed a two-day visit to Assam yesterday, is understood to have reviewed all aspects of the operations during discussions with senior officers of various units based in the region. His trip coincided with the Northeast police chiefs? conclave, which underscored the need to strike hard at the Ulfa without delay.

Apart from the police top brass of the region and neighbouring Bengal, Intelligence Bureau special director N.C. Padhi, Union home ministry representatives and senior officials of the army, paramilitary and the Research and Analysis Wing attended the meeting.

The focus of the conclave was the threat from militant groups that have bases in Bangladesh and Myanmar. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi stressed the need for better intelligence sharing among the states of the region. ?A more co-ordinated approach and strict vigil are needed to thwart the sinister designs of the militant outfits being aided and abetted by foreign forces inimical to India.?

A source said there was a consensus that the army would be able to go after the Ulfa ?with full force? since even the NDFB had declared a unilateral ceasefire.

The army chief is expected to submit a detailed report on the situation in Assam, north Bengal and Tripura to the Union home ministry to get Delhi?s nod for the planned operations.

?The situation is conducive for a co-ordinated armed operation against militant groups. The string of bloody attacks across the region between October 2 and 6 signalled their intentions and Delhi now has to take tough decisions,? said a senior police official who attended the security conclave.

Two major army operations against the Ulfa ? Bajrang and Rhino ? failed to produce results, but officials are confident a co-ordinated offensive will be more productive.

The offensive will mostly likely be independent of the three-tier unified command structure, including the army, the police and paramilitary forces.

A source said conclusive evidence had been gathered about the ISI fomenting militancy in the Northeast. He said the presence of camps of Northeast groups in Bangladesh was the main source of concern.

?The Union home ministry has asked West Bengal police to be on maximum alert because militants are increasingly using the Siliguri corridor to smuggle in arms and funds from Bangladesh and Nepal. The ISI has well-entrenched operatives in both these countries. But with security forces having plugged the major arms transit routes, militant groups are now relying more on the Siliguri corridor.?