Nagaland: Two Assam Rifles soldiers were injured in an attack suspected to have been carried out by an insurgent group in the Mon district of Nagaland. The incident took place in Nyasa village in Nagaland, located at the border between Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
At around 2.35 am, the Assam Rifles troops allegedly noticed suspicious movement by a group of people in the forest area by Zankham and Nyasa village, which also shares a border with Myanmar. On being challenged by the troops, the militants allegedly opened fire. A few militants were also injured when jawans retaliated.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K-YA) is believed to be behind the attack. Assam Rifles troops have been deployed to sensitive areas to prevent any attempts by insurgent groups in light of Independence Day. More soldiers have been deployed to prevent further attacks. The Army has launched a massive search and combing operation to nab the militants.
After the soldiers sustained bullet injuries in the early hours of Monday, they were airlifted to a military hospital in Jorhat, Assam. One of them is in critical condition.
In another incident, insurgent forces from the Myanmar side of the border fired several rounds in the air at around 11.30 am.
The United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) has called for a boycott of this year's Independence Day celebrations. Earlier this month, the banned organisation issued a joint statement with the Yung Aung faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Khaplang (NSCN-KYA). They asked people living in Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Meghalaya to skip Independence Day celebrations.