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Imphal, Aug. 3: Over the past month, Assam Rifles personnel have repeatedly thwarted attempts by militants to enter Manipur after beefing up security along the Indo-Myanmar border, a statement released by the Assam Rifles public relations office here today said.
According to the statement, on June 30, armed militants infiltrated into Phaikoh in Ukhrul district.
Upon receiving this information, Assam Rifles troops rushed to the area and an encounter took place.
Five militants were killed and four bodies were recovered while the rest fled back to Myanmar. However, the name of the group involved was not revealed.
In another incident, on July 3, militants ambushed an Assam Rifles column on its way to Satang from Kwatha village along the Indo-Myanmar border in Chandel district.
They returned fire and two Assam Rifles personnel sustained bullet injuries.
“On immediate retaliation by the Assam Rifles team, the militants fled and crossed the international border after a few of them sustained serious injuries,” the statement said.
The militants made another attempt on July 29. Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) cadres tried to infiltrate the border along the Taret river in Chandel district.
After the Assam Rifles troops got wind of this, they moved into the area and laid an ambush at Haikot and Khoibu near the international border.
“On July 29, contact was established with the militants around noon at Khoibu. The troops exercised maximum caution in view of presence of civilians in the village,” the statement said.
The militants fired indiscriminately. One civilian was injured and four to five militants also suffered injuries.
A large number of arms and ammunition was also recovered during the subsequent search operation, the statement said.
The Okram Ibobi Singh government has also strengthened deployment of state forces in the border township of Moreh by inducting police commandos. For the first time, the state government posted police commandos at Moreh last month as part of stepped-up border vigil.
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