Insurgents trigger blast under army vehicles in South Arunachal

Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, January 24

Two Army vehicles were slightly damaged when suspected insurgents triggered a blast on Namsai Nangtao road in South Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday morning when the Army team was returning from conducting operation against insurgents.

Defence spokesman Col Chiranjeet Konwer said there was an ongoing operation against insurgents in the area which is infected with militants from banned ULFA (Independent) and Naga rebel group NSCN-K.

There was no casualty because of the blast and a search operation has been launched in the area. The bomb was suspected to be planted under the road.

The security forces have intensified operation as well as surveillance against insurgents along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border areas to check cross-border movements of militants in the run-up to Republic Day.

The state police forces of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh too have geared up coordinated operation and intelligence sharing to prevent militants from striking terror around Republic Day.

The south Arunachal Pradesh areas bordering Myanmar have become a hotbed of militants from Assam and Nagaland. The area is used by the rebels as a transit route to Myanmar base. The Army has been particularly focused on South Arunachal Pradesh area in its operation against insurgents.