ULFA's bid to unite ATTF, NLFT

AGARTALA, February 13: The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has of late taken a keen interest in the Tripura militancy. According to intelligence reports, the Assam out fit is trying to unite the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) and National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT), the two rival outlawed groups, to launch a joint fight against the 'Indian government'. A joint meeting of the ATTF and NLFT was held last month at Srimangal (Sylhet) in Bangladesh where the ULFA commander Priyabrata Barua and his deputies were present. The ULFA has a strong base camp there. In fact the ULFA has been aiding and abetting the ATTF militants for quite some time and of late they are reported to have shared a Tiger Force camp in the CHT area. On the other hand, the NLFT enjoys patronage from the NSCN-(IM). The ULFA leader have asked the ATTF and NLFT to stop fighting against each other and instead launch a "joint struggle against the Indian government". Although details of the meeting were not available, it is learnt that the ULFA leaders have failed to convince the ATTF and NLFT men and the meeting came cropper. But there seems to be no scope for complacence for the Indian authority as according to another report, shadow of militancy is looming large once again over North Tripura district and parts of Mizoram as a new extremist outfit, Mizo Thunder Force (MTF), has emerged with the direct help of the NLFT which is making an attempt to neutralise the Reang extremist outfit Bru National Liberation Force (BNLF). According to intelligence reports, the newly formed MTF led by one Rosanliana of Mizoram, had already held several talks with the NLFT top leaders on January 7 or 8 last. The NLFT had been trying hard to check the Reang militant outfit BNLF for quite sometime but in vain. The presence of BNLF in North Tripura and its adjacent parts of Mizoram has been particularly disturbing for the NLFT for their movements and supply of arms consignments Facing the BNLF challenge and in some cases fierce confrontations, the NLFT has tried to use the Mizo-Reang ethnic conflict to its favour by floating an armed Mizo organisation. And recently the MTF came into being under Liana. The NLFT provided them some weapons at the initial stage. While the MTF is interested in driving out the Reangs (Brus) from Mizoram and launching an armed fight against the BNLF, the NLFT expect that the Mizo organisation will also help it in using the Mizoram soil for arms supply though the State from across the border.