IT News
Imphal, May 16:
Kuki armed militants have received heavy casualties in a retaliatory attack by People’s Libration Army (PLA), Manipur, armed wing of Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), near the Indo-Myanmar border today morning around 5: 50 AM. The retaliatory attack happened after a large number of Kuki militants attempted to attack the PLA’s position.
Imphal Times has been told by an inside source that “early this morning, a large number of armed militants wearing KNA-B combat uniforms started attacking a group of armed cadres between Kabaw Valley and Kamjong district of Manipur, close to the Myanmar border.”
“As the KNA-B cadres were outnumbered, they first moved towards a safer side. In retaliatory action, one cadre of the KNF-B died, and an AK 56 rifle was also recovered,” the inside source told Imphal Times, adding that many among them might have been injured as they retreated.
Imphal Times confirmed that the armed group engaged in a gunfight with the KNA-B cadres were PLA fighters. Earlier, there are reports of unremitting gun battles between the armed cadres of the Kuki group in the name of KNA-B and PDF attacking the NE insurgent camps in that area for the last 3 to 4 days. Following that, a large number of Indian security forces, including the Para Commandoes, have been reportedly deployed between International Border No. 90 and 91.
According to the source, “KNA-B is one of the military wings of Kuki National Organizations (KNO). They operate in Manipur under the banner of KNA and in Myanmar they operate under the name KNA-B.” The Kuki militants under the banner of KNO are reported to have been engaging in a suspension of operations with the government of India and Manipur but it is unclear that the agreement has continued after it lapsed in the last week of February this year.