12 DHD militants killed in Assam gunfight

Sat, May 10 05:29 PM

Diphu, May 10 (PTI) At least 12 insurgents of Black Widow faction of Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) group were killed and 18 others injured in a gun battle with security forces in North Cachar Hills district today. Troops of the 8th Sikh Regiment and police cordoned off the village along Assam-Nagaland-Manipur border around 4.

30 am during the operation at a camp of the DHD (Jewel Garlosa) sheltering around 30 ultras there, police sources said. The rebels opened fire on the security forces, who also retaliated killing 12 of them, rest of the injured managed to flee, sources said.

None from the security forces or the villagers were injured or killed, the sources said. The village is dominated by Jemi-Naga tribals and NSCN-IM ultras were also suspected to be in the militant group as they have an understanding with the DHD, the sources said.

The dead were yet to be identified and investigations were on, the sources added. The ceasefire between the DHD(J) and Centre had expired recently and the state goverment had been instructed by the union home ministry to draw up an action plan to improve the law and order situation, particularly in the N C Hills district.

The DHD had been resorting to killings, extortions and kidnappings, targeting workers engaged in railway broad gauge conversion and East-West Corridor highway construction as infrastructure development affected their insurgent activities in the district demanding a Dimasa homeland for the ethnic group, official sources said. PTI.

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