IMPHAL (Kashmir English): Fresh incidents of violence were reported in BJP-ruled Manipur state in India, after suspected militants carried out coordinated drone attacks on many villages in Kamjong district near the Myanmar border.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the attacks targeted Namlee Market and Choro villages, raising concerns over the use of advanced methods in the conflict hit state. Several houses were set ablaze during the attacks, forcing many families to flee to safer areas.
Official sources, quoting locals, said that some homes were burnt down in a couple of villages, while all the houses at Choro village were destroyed in the fire.
Although no fatalities were reported, a Naga man remains missing following the violence, with locals saying he may have been abducted by the attackers. Another villager was reportedly injured in the incident. Notably, some of these villages have majority Naga population.
Local Naga MLA Leishiyo Keishing alleged that cadres linked to the Kuki National Army (Burma) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) were behind the assault.
Keishing also criticised the response of the Indian forces, pointing out that an Indian army’s Assam Rifles camp located barely a few kilometers away did not intervene despite being deployed in the border region.
Manipur unrest
The latest attacks have further escalated tensions in Manipur’s sensitive border districts, where intermittent violence and armed clashes have been occurring over the past several months.
