IMPHAL: Security forces stationed along the border between Manipur and Myo Thit, Myanmar, are on heightened alert following intense clashes between insurgent groups, reports confirmed on Sunday.
Increased vigilance among Indian forces, particularly the Assam Rifles, stationed near Namlee village in Manipur’s Kamjong district, a stone’s throw from the conflict zone, has been reported in the local press.
The clashes, which erupted several days ago and persist sporadically, involve a group of insurgents hailing from Manipur and Myanmar’s rebel factions – primarily the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the Kuki National Front (KNF).
Emerging reports suggest casualties on both sides.
Among the dead are a PDF cadre and one KNF cadre, while at least nine PDF members and multiple KNF(B) insurgents have sustained injuries in the skirmishes.
The clashes began following an assault by a contingent comprising member of the PDF and KNF on a camp nestled within the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, a strategic stronghold of a Northeastern insurgent group.
Utilising sophisticated weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and explosive ordnance, the assailants unleashed an attack that persisted for a span of three days.
Emerging reports suggest that Myanmar-based rebels orchestrated retaliatory strikes, employing drones and state-of-the-art weaponry, targeting camps affiliated with the Manipur insurgent groups.
As tensions simmer along the Manipur-Myanmar border, probabilities of further escalation of clashes looms large.
Earlier on May 9, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh disclosed that over 5,000 illegal immigrants have been detected in the Kamjong district of the state.
The Manipur government has consistently maintained that infiltrators from Myanmar bear responsibility for the escalating violence in Manipur.
Since the onset of the military coup in Myanmar last year, a staggering number exceeding 38,000 individuals, comprising men, women, and children, have sought refuge in India.
Among them, approximately 5,000 have sought sanctuary in Manipur, while the remainder have found shelter in Mizoram.
