Imphal, Oct. 4: Policemen and soldiers killed seven militants in different parts of Manipur since late last night.

Security forces, including police, were carrying out raids after five personnel of the CRPF were killed along the Imphal-Jiribam highway yesterday. An Assam Rifles jawan was killed in Thoubal district on Sunday night. The eight soldiers injured in yesterday’s ambush are undergoing treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences.

Police sources said a combined team of the Assam Rifles, Maratha Light Infantry and the state’s crack commando teams gunned down a militant at Sairem village in Imphal West this afternoon.

The team recovered a hand grenade from the militant, who was shot dead after a hot pursuit. The identity of the slain militant is yet to be established.

The team also conducted cordon and search operations in the neighbouring village of Senjam around 4.30pm.

Two more militants were killed in the subsequent operations. The troops recovered a self-loading rifle (SLR) along with ammunition and a Chinese-made hand grenade from the slain militants. They also recovered camouflage uniforms from the locality during the follow-up search.

Assam Rifles spokesman Col L.M. Pant today said combined teams of the police and security forces killed four other militants in two separate encounters between 10 and 10.30 last night.

The spokesman said troops of the 32 Assam Rifles and police gunned down two militants at Naran Konjin in Imphal West district last night.

The security forces recovered an AK 47 rifle with six rounds of ammunition and a revolver with two live rounds from the slain militants.

The second encounter occurred at Bamdiyar in Bishenpur district, where personnel of the Maratha Light Infantry and police gunned down two other militants.

An AK-47 rifle, with two magazines containing 22 live rounds, and a 9mm pistol, were recovered from them.

The slain militants were identified as 23-year-old Longjam Nanao alias Itocha of Imphal West, 23-year-old Wahengbam Bocha alias Suresh of Thoubal, 30-year-old Thongam Gandhi alias Tomba of Imphal East and 30-year-old Moirangmayum Rabi of Bishnupur district.