Guwahati: In what may be called an attempt to make its presence felt, suspected NSCN(K) rebels on Tuesday launched an offensive by opening fire on an Army camp in the Longdisng district of Arunachal Pradesh. While there were no casualties in the firing, defence spokes-man Col. Suneet Newton said alert sentries had retaliated and forced the rebels to flee.
He said just five to 10 rounds of ineffective small arms fire and a Lathode grenade were fired at the post. He also clarified that there were no casualties or any damage to the property of the company operation base (COB), that was fired upon by the insurgents.
The defence spokesman, however, admitted that Army personnel were guarded in their retaliatory fire in order to ensure the safety and security of the civilians living in the vicinity. He also denied the propaganda of the insurgents on the social media claiming that there were casualties due to the attack.
The NSCN(K)’s self-styled “deputy army chief”, Isak Sumi, claimed that in a well-orchestrated offensive against the Indian Army, the combined operation command of the Naga Army consisting of selected fighters and specialists from various mobile units, demolition units and general headquarters, numbering around 70 cadres, commanded by an experienced, senior officer launched an all-out attack on the Army camp at Nyausau, Longding, Arunachal Pradesh, at around 1 am.
“The Indian Army were caught totally off-guard and in for a surprise. The-re was no injury sustain-ed or casualties on our side and our army are now back to a safe area,” Isak Sumi claimed in a st-atement issued to the loc-al media through email.
