Army move to fight ULFA in Bhutan

NEW DELHI, July 19: The Army is slowly readying for a major operation to dislodge the ULFA insurgents from their camps in Bhutan now that the kingdom's Parliament is speaking about forcing them out. Sources said the operation has to be "well thought out as it will be difficult to surprise the insurgents". More important, it will have to be a joint operation along with the Royal Bhutanese Army. "Patience is the key. We have to remember this is an operation in another country. A botched operation will be a major embarrassment," an official said. The terrain and the defensive positions of the insurgents ensure that several major issues are considered. First, the Bhutan government has apparently said the operation should finish off the ULFA camps, now about 30 km inside Bhutanese territory. This means the insurgents can't be allowed to flee either north or towards Arunachal Pradesh. That means additional troops will be necessary to block all escape routes. The ULFA insurgents, said officials, are very well-armed, having received new weaponry from the Pakistani ISI. "We seized some weapons in mint condition. There were rocket-launchers, Kalashnikov rifles, sniper rifles, LMGs and grenades. There are about 1,100 ULFA activists there, including 500-600 men trained by the ISI in Bangladesh. The NSCN(K) have also helped in the training," officials said. There is very little possibility of gaining complete surprise, so well-located are the camps, just at the edge of the plains, in the hills at a height of 5,000-6,000 feet. As a result, a "softening up" may be necessary, sources said. The softening up could mean the use of mortars and possibly, artillery. But the operation now hinges on the complete assent of the Bhutanese government and there is hope that King Jigme Singe Wangchuk is coming around to the idea. The ULFA began moving into Bhutan about a decade ago, occupying villages abandoned by the Nepalese in south Bhutan. Initially, the Bhutanese government did not mind the ULFA occupation for the ultras didn't create any trouble. "It was almost as if there was a tacit understanding between the ULFA and sections of the government," senior officials said. Slowly, arms began to flow in and also, money. Insurgents, chased by the security forces in India, would move to safety in Bhutan.