The Army of Bhutan has launched an operation to flush out top NDFB rebels suspected to have been sheltering in the hills of Bhutan.
Disclosing that top NDFB rebels responsible for the massacre of adivasis in 2014 are sheltering in the hills of Bhutan, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that Bhutan has started moving in heavily armed units of its Army to flush the NDFB rebels out of its territory.
The Royal Bhutan Army had conducted cross-border operations on Bhutan-ese soil between December 2003 and January 2004 to eliminate Indian militants holed up in south Bhutan.
Security sources said NDFB military commander G. Bidai was leading the team of NDFB rebels of the Songbijit faction hiding in Bhutanese territory adjoining Jamduar area of Kokrajhar district,.
Informing that at least eight top NDFB rebels are part of this NDFB group in Bhutan, security sources, however, claimed they are short not only of funds but also of arms and ammunition. The security forces have been carrying out relentless operations against the NDFB (S) since the outfit killed more than 65 adivasi villagers in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts in December 2014.
Pointing out that over 25 hardcore cadres of the outfit were killed and about 600 of its members and linkmen arrested in the operation, security sour-ces claimed that about 25 to 30 militants, including top leaders G. Bidai and K. Batha, are still at large.
Asserting that the ongoing operation has broken the backbone of the militant group and some of its leaders have sent feelers to the government for talks, security sources said the Bhutan Army launched the operation about three days ago on the basis of a specific tip-off about the presence of NDFB rebels in its territory.
Security sources said the Bhutanese authorities are also in touch with their counterparts in India and are sharing necessary inputs on ongoing operations in Bhutan.
