The incident occurred at 2 pm. — Representational photo

Guwahati, December 3

Two soldiers were killed and eight others injured as militants, believed to be from the banned Naga outfit NSCN-K, ambushed a convoy of the Assam Rifles along the India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, a defence spokesman said.

Wing Commander SS Birdi, spokesperson of Army’s Eastern Command, said the incident occurred at 2 pm today.(The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) An Assam Rifles spokesman said the attack took place at Nginu village in Tirap district, in the radius of 20 km from the border.Two vehicles belonging to the Assam Rifles were targeted by the militants.

“Soldiers belonging to the 16 Assam Rifles were returning from a patrol when the heavily armed militants fired at them. While two of them, including a JCO (Junior Commissioned Officer) died, eight others were injured. The condition of two of them is stated to be serious,” the spokesman said, adding more forces have been sent to launch counter-insurgency operations in and around the area.

“We believe it to be handiwork of anti-talk faction, Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang militants who have some presence in Tirap district.On November 19, a combined team of the NSCN-K and the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) had carried out an ambush on Army personnel in Assam’s Tinsukia district, killing three soldiers and injuring four others.After this attack, the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW), which is a joint platform of all the northeastern militant outfits, ambushed a group of commandos of 21 Para in Chandel district of Manipur on November 26, injuring five soldiers. — TNS/Agencies

Guwahati, December 3

An Assam Rifles jawan was killed while nine others were injured when armed militants ambushed a convoy at Wakka village in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh today. The attack, suspected to have been carried out by militants belonging to the banned Naga outfit NSCN-K, took place near the Indo-Myanmar border.Sources said the injured personnel were airlifted to the Army base hospital in Dinjan in eastern Assam. Troops have launched a combing operation. “We believe it to be handiwork of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang militants who have some presence in Tirap district,” a defence spokesman said. It was the third attack on security personnel in the area close to the border in the past 15 days. On November 19, a combined team of the NSCN-K and the United Liberation Front of Assam had carried out an ambush on Army personnel in Tinsukia district, killing three soldiers. On November 26, the United National Liberation Front of Western South East Asia ambushed a group of 21 Para commandos in Manipur, injuring five. — TNS/IANS