Guwahati: The Assam Rifles troopers on Wednesday shot dead at least two Ulfa (I) rebels and apprehended six others, including a woman cadre, in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Defence PRO Lt. Col. Sumeet Newton told this newspaper that Assam Rifle troopers have also recovered an AK-47 rifle and a pistol from the slain Ulfa (I) militants who were cornered near Dharampur. He said that the slain militants are yet to be identified.
Informing that the combing operation was still on, sources said that the group of Ulfa (I) rebels was moving towards some undisclosed location near Indo-Myanmar border. The Assam Rifle has also recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.
The encounter took place close to the area where three Assam Rifle soldiers were killed and four others injured in a confrontation with a combined force of suspected Ulfa (I) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants in November.
Pointing out that the counter-insurgency operations have been intensified in Arunachal Pradesh, sources said the decision to launch a combing operation in the trouble-torn districts of the state was taken in a strategic group meeting at Itanagar, which was chaired by Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu.
The GOC 4 Corps and 3 Corps were also present in the strategic group meeting, which discussed as to how free movement of the ultras in Arunachal Pradesh was affecting the law and order scenario of Assam.
