3 Assam Rifles men killed in terrorist ambush

IMPHAL: Three

Assam Rifles

personnel were killed and five others injured in an ambush by underground militants at Khongtal in Manipur’s Chandel district bordering Myanmar on Wednesday evening.


Three outfits — Manipur Naga People’s Front (MNPF), Revolutionary People’s Front (RPF), and Ulfa-I — claimed responsibility for the attack. In a joint media statement, they said a combined team of their cadres carried out a “joint military offensive against the Indian security forces.”

Terrorists set off IEDs before opening fire on troopers
They added that the people of

Western South East Asia

(WeSEA) were countering the “expansionism of India” and the attack was launched for the “independence struggle against Indian colonisation and expansionism”. Official sources said a contingent of 15 personnel from Assam Rifles (4th battalion), who were on patrolling duty, came under attack when they were returning to their base at Khongtal around 7pm.

The militants exploded IEDs before they opened fire at the paramilitary personnel, who were led by a junior commissioned officer. The sources added that the security personnel fired in retaliation, which led to a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides for about 30 minutes. Havildar Pranay Kalita (Assam), riflemen Ratan Salam (Manipur) and Methna Konyak (

Nagaland

) were killed on the spot. The injured —

Subedar S Haokip

, Nitul Sharma, Vivekanan, Sandeeb Kumar (all havildars) and sepoy Anis Kumar — were taken to the military hospital at Leimakhong near Imphal in an Army helicopte