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North East : Lashkar tentacles in Manipur |
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Three arrested for arms training in PoK
Pakistan-based terrorist outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba has spread its wings in India’s troubled north-east. This was confirmed by security forces last week when they announced the arrest of three Lashkar operatives hailing from Manipur on December 19.
On specific information last week, Delhi police arrested Salman Khurshid Kori, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Akbar Hussain from near the Red Fort. Two kilos of RDX, two detonators and a hand grenade were seized from the accused which were meant to be used to trigger blasts in the capital’s markets, the police said.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that the Lashkar is trying to tie up with the Manipur-based People’s United Liberation Front (PULF), to carry out subversive activities against India.
Tuesday’s arrests have added a dimension to intelligence agency reports indicating that the PULF is being helped by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
This is the first time that LeT operatives hailing from any state in the Northeast have been arrested in the national capital, though the ISI’s connection with various outfits, including ULFA, have been known for some time.
The Manipuri militants have been trained earlier by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) and have a strong presence in the Naga outfit’s stronghold, Dimapur, in Nagaland.
The trio was trained in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Kori was a protege of the deceased LeT leader Salim Salar who initiated him into the outfit and asked him to set up a base in Manipur.
There are several Islamist militant outfits in the Northeast, including 14 outfits in Assam alone. Leading the crop is the All Muslim United Liberation Forum of Assam .
Army offensive against UNLF militants, thousands flee
Thousands of panic-stricken people have fled villages close to the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Chandel district in the aftermath of a massive offensive launched by the Army to flush out militants of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF).
UNLF militants had set up camps along the Khengjoy range and in Dingpi area in the southeastern corner of Manipur.
Reports say that over 2,000 people from 25 villages, including women and children, have moved out fearing that they would get caught in the crossfire between the militants and the security forces. The exodus began after soldiers moved into Khengjoy range and fanned out over the area in the first week of this month.
There are conflicting claims regarding the displacement of Manipur’s villagers. While Army sources asserted that the militants forced the villagers to move out of their homes, the UNLF accused the Army of triggering the displacement by exploding bombs and firing mortars at residential areas.
Security forces claimed to have cleared the Khengjoy range, a stronghold of the outfit, of rebels during the week-long crackdown. This was the Army’s first major offensive after an operation in January this year, when militants were flushed out from interior areas of neighbouring Churachandpur district.
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