Insurgency / Northeast

GUWAHATI, Dec 17 ? The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) today received a major set back during the ongoing offensive by the Royal Bhutan Army personnel as the publicity secretary of the outfit Mithinga Daimari, along with several other cadres of the outfit have been nabbed. Highly placed security sources confirmed the arrest of the ULFA publicity secretary during the Bhutan Army operation against the ULFA militants holed up in the territory of the Himalayan Kingdom. Sources said that the Bhutan Government has also claimed the arrest of a senior leader of the National Democratic Front of...

Gelephu (Bhutan), Dec. 16: For the better part of last night, neither the residents of this town nor the people of Datgiri-Hatisar, on the Indian side of the Indo-Bhutan border, could sleep in peace. The sound of heavy gunfire rent the air throughout the night, signalling the beginning of a war the people had hoped would never take place.

However, the only sign of activity today in the border towns of Gelephu and Datgiri-Hatisar were of senior military officials barking instructions to their juniors.

On the Indian side of the border, troops were in the same state of alert, creating the...

Kokrajhar, Dec. 16: The National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) chief is under constant pressure from the members of the outfit to announce a ceasefire and sit down for talks with the Centre. Disclosing this, surrendered NDFB militant B. Maofung, alias Manaranjan Basumatary, said the rebels had repeatedly appealed to NDFB chairman Ranjan Daimary to begin talks with the Union government since 2001.

Basumatary, who held the rank of second lieutenant before his surrender, was among the 21 NDFB cadre who laid down arms before the Kokrajhar district administration on November 28.

The group...

Kalikhola (South Bhutan), Dec. 16: Two kilometres inside the jungle ? and the same distance from the Indian border ? a Kalashnikov-toting Royal Bhutan Army soldier popped out of the foliage to shout the warning: Go back to the Indian side. There is grave danger here. A heavily-armed royal army unit cordon appeared in his footsteps. ?You have no business inside Bhutan territory. How did you enter?? the soldier asked.

Once informed of our identity, the unit warned: ?There have been fierce encounters between the RBA and Indian militants throughout yesterday. And it is not safe for you to proceed...

TEZPUR, Dec 16 ? Commencing the 32nd anniversary of the Vijay Diwas, the Gajraj Corps which had played a predominant role in the 1971 Operations to achieve the spectacular success in liberating Bangladesh from Pakistan organised a surrender ceremony to commemorate the events where altogether 89 North-east-based militants including three women cadres surrendered with arms and ammunitions before Lt Gen Mohinder Singh, GOC 4 Corps and the operational head of the Unified Command Structure here at the Garrison town today.

The surrender militants includes 63 members of ULFA, 23 ultras of NDFB, 2 of...

GUWAHATI, Dec 16 ? Army personnel have been deployed all along the West Bengal-Bhutan border to prevent the militants from sneaking into the State in view of the Bhutan Army operations in the neighbouring country. Security sources in North Bengal told this correspondent that though the Army was not operating in West Bengal, Army personnel were posted all along the international boundary from the night of December 14, hours before the Bhutan Army launched the offensive against the militant outfits in the country. West Bengal has about 200 kilometres of border with Bhutan and the entire border...

GUWAHATI, Dec 16 ? A full-scale Army operation is once again looming large on the State as the State government has sounded a state-wide red alert to thwart possible infiltration bid by militants from Bhutan in the wake of the Bhutanese Army launching operations to flush out ULFA, NDFB and KLO militants from the Himalayan kingdom.

Addressing a Press conference today, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi informed that the Union government had specifically asked the State government to prevent any bid by militants who are facing offensive of the Royal Bhutan Army, to sneak into the State. Gogoi informed...

GUWAHATI, Dec 16 ? Intensifying its crackdown on Indian insurgent groups operating from its soil, Bhutanese army has captured the central command headquarters of ULFA and destroyed several camps near the border with Assam amidst reports of casualties from both sides as Indian troops kept a strict vigi to prevent fleeing ultras from entering the country, reports PTI.

A red alert has been sounded in Assam and borders with Bhutan sealed with the army moving additonal forces on the border. ?Bhutan?s Royal Army soldier have seized ULFA?s centreal command headquarters located at Phukatong in...

New Delhi/Guwahati, Dec. 15: India today lavished praise on Bhutan for launching a military offensive against Northeast militant groups operating from its territory, but senior bureaucrats remained sceptical about its ability to keep the rebels out for good.

A senior official said Bhutan?s military manpower and equipment might be inadequate to maintain control over the areas from where militants of the Ulfa and the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) were being shunted out.

He claimed the top leaders of both groups fled the Himalayan kingdom before the operation began.

?With their...

GUWAHATI, Dec 15 ? Assam government has lauded the military action initiated by Royal government of Bhutan to force closure of unauthorised camps belonging to the banned ULFA, NDFB and KLO outfits in that country even as steps have been taken to prevent ultras sneaking into Assam crossing the Indo-Bhutan border. Official sources informed that the operation by Bhutanese Army to flush out Indian militants from that country was started at around 8-30 this morning.

Talking to The Assam Tribune, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi while welcoming the bold action taken by Bhutan government termed it as a...