New Delhi (Sputnik) — In a major cross-border operation, Indian Army commandos have ambushed a camp in Myanmar belonging to the outlawed NSCN-K inflicting heavy casualties upon the rebels.
According to sources, at least five Naga rebels died in the operation conducted on Wednesday near pillar 151 on the India-Myanmar border across Nagaland's Mon district. Indian commandos crossed the border and destroyed the camp situated three kilometers away from the border, according to the IANS.
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"A team of 12 Para Commandos attacked a check post of the NSCN-K (National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang) situated in the vicinity of its Shwelo camp inside Myanmar on Wednesday. The gunfight continued for half hour," an army official told IANS.
"The Indian Army in huge number crossed Chenmoh village and arrived at the international boundary some kilometers away from the Naga Army forward post and on realization that their presence has already been detected they resorted to blank firings randomly for several minutes to which the Naga Army responded and prevented any further advance," Isak Sumi wrote on his Facebook page.
Earlier this month, the outfit had killed three army personnel and injured many during an ambush in North East India. On Thursday, two soldiers from the 7th Assam Rifles suffered minor splinter injury when an IED explosion took place in between Ngoromi under Kiphire district and Akhegwo under Meluri sub-division (Phek district).
The Naga groups had launched a violent revolution just after India's independence from the British rule demanding a separate state called Greater Nagaland by restructuring the boundary of four northeastern states of India and parts of Myanmar that have a Naga population.
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In 1997, the Naga insurgents signed a ceasefire agreement with the government but the groups splintered with a section led by SS Khaplang choosing to opt out of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the armed struggle in 2015, thus derailing the peace process. Subsequently, the Indian government termed NSCN-K as an extortion group which operates from Myanmar and has nothing to do with Naga issues and had since started military action against the group.