Kohima, Jan. 18: At least 15 activists of the Khaplang group of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland were arrested from the Officers’ Hill area here with a cache of arms and ammunition.

Commandos of India Reserve Battalion cordoned off the area after a gunbattle between the Khaplang group and its rival, the Isak-Muivah faction in the area around 9 last night.

The 15 men were rounded up during search operations from two houses.

Four guns and over 2,000 rounds of ammunition were seized from them.

The haul included one AK-56 assault rifle, one 9 mm, one M20 and one .32 pistol and a crude bomb. Inka Swu, secretary of the Ceasefire Supervisory Board, is among those arrested.

Earlier in the day, a woman was injured in the crossfire when the two factions clashed. The woman has been shifted to a private clinic and is out of danger.

The factional clash took place in the same area where two youths of the Konyak tribe were killed by the NSCN (I-M) on January 13, provoking widespread condemnation from various organisations and the people in Nagaland.

The arrested militants are being interrogated thoroughly by a joint team of Nagaland police, Assam Rifles and other security agencies.

Intelligence agencies have warned the police that Ulfa and several members of other militant groups of Manipur have sneaked into the state. All these outfits have close ties with the NSCN (K).

The Khaplang faction leaders could not be contacted for comments over the arrests.

The state is on high alert to check any infiltration of Ulfa rebels from Assam as operations are on in that state to smoke out militants after the carnage in Diburgarh and Tinsukia districts.

The NSCN (I-M), too, has put all its units on maximum alert and combat readiness in view of the current situation.

The outfit’s chairman, Isak Chishi Swu, said their adversaries have launched a renewed offensive against them in a renewed turf war.

Calling for reconciliation and forgiveness among the Naga groups,

Swu, however, said his organisation would not allow any adversary, be it an individual or groups to take advantage of the volatile situation.

“We are sincere and we affirm it in truth and in faith because NSCN believes it is the only way to reconcile with one another,” the NSCN leader said.

He said any attempt to exploit the proclamation of reconciliation such as attacks on the outfit or move to occupy areas dominated by it, would be resisted firmly.

However, the apex body of Konyaks described the peace process in Nagaland as “a farce”.

At a meeting in Mon yesterday, it accused the Centre of encouraging criminals to kill innocent people in the name of curbing insurgency.