Assam Rifles rescue 2 abducted villagers after Manipur border attack: Officials

ASsam Rifles on sabbatum reclaimed 2 Tangkhul Naga villagers including 1 adult female abducted by the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) faction and Village Volunteers Eastern Zone (VVEZ) from Manipur’s Z Choro village in Kamjong district bordering Myanmar.“The woman was abducted by KNA (B) and Village Volunteers Eastern Zone (VVEZ) from Namlee. The release took place south of Z Choro village close to the incident area under the watch of Assam Rifles, Intelligence and other agencies,” said a statement issued by PRO headquarter Inspector general Assam Rifles (South).Officials said armed militants abducted two villagers after attacking four villages in Kamjong district on Thursday.Naga students’ body Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long (a Tangkhul students’ union) alleged in a statement that around 100 armed KNA-B militants crossed the international boundary from the Myanmar side and targeted four Tangkhul Naga villages including Namlee, Wanglee, Ashang Khullen (KAKA), and Aloyo (Choro).It said “The husband of the woman, village headman and CSOs were also taken to Humine Thana, short of Phaikoh and close to the handover location, once own forces had secured the release. After release, the family and CSOs were taken to the unit headquarters at Chassad for formal handing over and documentation. The family, village headman and CSOs thereafter moved to their village, Khangpat Khn. In the entire process all details were coordinated at minute levels including medical checkups and psychological assistance. Also, the village headman and local villagers were appropriately treated and addressed by the force.”Assam Rifles clarified that in the early hours of May 7, unrest was reported near Z Choro and opposite Namlee along the India-Myanmar border.Also Read:Manipur: 6 injured in multiple attacks in Ukhrul, Kamjong districtsAssam Rifles troopers brought the situation under control and rescued 15 more villagers.State home minister, K Govindas, along with Naga People’s Front (NPF) legislator Leishiyo Keishing, visited three villages affected by the incident on Saturday. The visit revealed that most houses in Z Choro were burned to ashes, except for churches.Govindas said, “The incident of armed attack and arson allegedly carried out by a Myanmar-based militant outfit might have occurred due to security lapses.”However the minister defied the statement made by the NPF legislator regarding the involvement of the Myanmar-based militant outfits KNA-B and PDF. “Foreign aggression was not mentioned in the report submitted to the government,” said Govindas.Regarding villagers’ demands to replace Assam Rifles with other state security forces, Govindas said the state still required around 7,000 additional personnel. However, he assured that the government would consider deploying state security forces in the area by replacing central security forces.The state home minister also interacted with Myanmar refugees taking shelter at Namlee village.According to the Kamjong district administration’s record as of May 7, 2024, over 1,500 Myanmar refugees live in Choro, Namlee and Wanglee villages.VVEZ claimed responsibility for the attack carried out in Kamjong district in a statement.It said that the Kamjong incident was a retaliatory attack for burning of Lancha Kuki village in the same district on May 2.It also clarified that the response was due to ongoing aggressions allegedly carried out by National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) particularly its Eastern Flank faction (A Naga militant outfit against the Kuki community in Ukhrul and Kamjong district of Manipur.Unrest in Manipur has claimed at least 260 lives and displaced around 60,000 people since May 2023. It first began between the Meitei and Kuki communities and has since involved almost every group.