Imphal, June 4: Using rocket-propelled grenades(RPG) and automatic weapons, insurgents ambushed a military convoy in Manipur Thursday, killing at least 18 army personnel in the worst such attack in recent years. Eleven soldiers were injured, an Army spokesman said. A suspected insurgent was also killed.
A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol (ROP) as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80km from Imphal, when it was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED. After the blast, the insurgents resorted to heavy firing at the convoy of four army vehicles with RPGs and automatic weapons. “18 soldiers were killed and 11 injured in the attack,” Army spokesman Col Rohan Anand said in Delhi.
The attack occurred at 9am when the convoy reached a place between Paralong and Charong villages. Manipur home secretary J Suresh Babu said the government suspected involvement of Manipur rebel outfit Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in the deadly attack. “This seems to be the work of PLA, with suspected support from the ‘KYKL’ group. We are still waiting for more inputs,” he added. Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) is a Meitei revolutionary organization in Manipur.
Reinforcements from the security forces were rushed to the spot for a combing operation to nab the militants, police said. PTI