Militants attack three Tangkhul villages

Several houses were reduced to ashes and villagers fled into nearby forests after suspected militants launched coordinated pre-dawn attacks on Tangkhul Naga villages near the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Thursday, triggering outrage and allegations of “external aggression” from civil society groups and local leaders.
According to reports, the villages of Namlee, Wanglee and Choro under Kasom Khullen police station came under attack around 3:30 to 4 am by heavily armed militants. The villages are located around one kilometre from the Indo-Myanmar border, nearly 120 km east of Imphal.
During the attacks, several houses were torched, forcing villagers to flee for safety. An elderly woman sustained bullet injuries on her left thigh while attempting to escape. Reports also stated that two villagers, including a woman, remained untraceable amid fears that they may have been abducted by the attackers.
Police and security forces, including Assam Rifles personnel, later rushed to the affected villages, though sources said difficult terrain delayed their arrival.
The Working Committee of the Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), in a statement circulated online, alleged that around 100 heavily armed militants belonging to the Myanmar-based Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B), backed by the People’s Defence Force (PDF), carried out the coordinated attacks.
TNL alleged that the militants fired indiscriminately at the villages and set more than 18 houses ablaze. It further claimed that drones, rocket launchers and lathode guns were used during the assault, causing extensive destruction. “The Tangkhul Naga villages were raided and overrun at about 3.30 am,” the TNL alleged, adding that villagers were looted and fired upon by Myanmar-based militants.
The organisation also expressed concern that the attacks occurred barely 200 metres from an Assam Rifles post stationed between Choro and Aloyo villages.
Phungyar MLA Leishiyo Keishing also termed the attacks as “external aggression” and alleged that militants from across the international border were responsible.
“So far the state had been seeing internal conflicts but today there has been external aggression,” the MLA told reporters, claiming that cadres of KNA-B and PDF jointly attacked four to five villages.
He further alleged absence of Manipur Police personnel in the area and criticised the Assam Rifles stationed nearby for failing to protect the villages.
The Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long (TAKL) condemned the attacks and demanded immediate deployment of state police and commandos to the affected areas. The student body also sought an explanation regarding the alleged security lapse that allowed around 100 armed militants to cross the international border undetected.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) demanded urgent intervention from the Centre.
COCOMI said the incident directly concerns India’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and border security, and questioned whether such incidents would still be described only as “ethnic conflict” despite allegations involving foreign-origin armed groups.
However, in a separate statement, KNA-B denied involvement in the attacks and accused certain media outlets of publishing reports without verification or credible evidence.