Unconfirmed report says four killed in ambush in Kamjong district
IMPHAL, Sep 24 (NPN): Over 41 more houses were reduced to ashes as suspected militants escalated their attacks with assaults on three Naga-inhabited villages in the hills of troubled-Manipur.
A church and other public structure were also razed during the attacks at three villages – Makui Chamriupui, Makui Thanamba and Makui Thebram – with the jurisdiction of Kangpokpi district.
The attackers carried out the arson amid armed confrontations with the armed villagers guarding the villages.
Though various social media posts alleged casualties on the attackers’ side in the armed confrontations, this correspondent could not immediately confirm it.
Local reports claimed that at least 17 houses in Makui Chamriupui, eight in Makui Thanamba and 16 in Makui Thebram were completely burnt during the intensified assaults.
The suspects attacked the three villages almost simultaneously, starting Wednesday afternoon, around 2.30 pm and continued till early hours (around 2.30 am) of Thursday.
Armed with sophisticated weapons, suspected militants have been carrying out attacks on Naga-inhabited villages along the tri-district border of Tamenglong, Noney, and Kangpokpi starting from early Wednesday morning.
Residents of the affected villages have been accusing cadres of Kuki militant groups under suspension of operation (SoO) agreement with the government behind the attacks.
When the attacks escalated, they expressed their anguish and disappointment while alleging that the security forces failed to intervene.
They said that security posts manned by the CRPF and IRB personnel are stationed within a 10 km range from the affected villages, but they did not intervene despite the attack continuing for several hours.
The villagers said that they had to flee, abandoning their homes unable to hold their ground as the attackers started setting fire to their houses amid the continuous assault for nearly 12 hours.
The residents of the affected villages were reportedly taking refuge at nearby Naga-inhabited villages.
Meanwhile, reports of sporadic clashes between armed members of Kuki and Naga were coming in from the areas along the tri-district border of Tamenglong, Noney and Kangpokpi districts on Thursday afternoon.
Notably, in the escalating violence in these affected areas earlier on Wednesday, several houses were torched as at least eight villages – five Naga-inhabited and three Kuki-inhabited – came under attack, leaving one villager dead.
On the other hand, a late report which could not be officially confirmed till the time of filing this report alleged that at least four members of Naga tribe including father and son died in an ambush by suspected militants in the interior Kamjong district of Manipur bordering Myanmar late hursdayafternoon.
The highly reliable report said that the suspected militants ambushed a group of five persons on their way back from Pilong village, killing four of them on the spot.
The killing came to light when the lone survivor who escaped the ambush unhurt informed the residents of his village about the incident.
Villagers along with the security forces have rushed to the area to retrieve the dead bodies.
As per the reliable report, the deceased were Peterson Jajo of Kangpat village, Vareishung Jajo and Phami Jajo of Kangpat Khullen and Ningthem of Chingjui village.