Imphal, Jan 17 (IANS) The Army, along with the Assam Rifles and other security forces, has launched a massive joint counter-insurgency operation in Manipur’s hilly Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts, officials said on Friday.
An official said late on Friday night that intelligence inputs suggest that militants of the United Kuki National Army (UKNA), armed with heavy weapons, are moving in the hilly areas of the two districts. The UKNA has not signed any Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the government, although several other Kuki outfits entered into SoO agreements with the Central government in 2008.
Police sources said that the UKNA has around 450 cadres and possesses over 300 sophisticated weapons, making it larger than any individual armed group currently under the SoO framework. The outfit has reportedly set up camps both within Manipur and across the international border in Myanmar.
According to officials, UKNA cadres have allegedly been involved in firing incidents targeting the houses of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) affected by ethnic violence, who were recently resettled under Phase I of the government’s rehabilitation initiative.
Under the extensive operation, which began on Friday morning, helicopters have been deployed to locate the movement of militants and to identify their hideouts and camps in the difficult terrain.
Meanwhile, in November last year, officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and representatives of Kuki-Zo armed groups under the SoO framework—the Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and the United People’s Front (UPF)—held two-day talks in New Delhi. The discussions focused on the core demand for a Union Territory with a Legislative Assembly for the Kuki-Zo tribal community in Manipur.
In a joint statement, the KNO and UPF said that during the meeting, A.K. Mishra, Adviser (Northeast Affairs), MHA, reiterated that while the government of India is sensitive to the plight of the Kuki-Zo people, the current policy does not support the creation of new Union Territories.
Mishra also reportedly emphasised the need for wider consultations with other communities in Manipur.
–IANS
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