three-soldiers-injured-as-ulfa-i-targets-army-camp-in-assam

Three Army personnel sustained minor injuries when militants of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) [ULFA(I)] opened fire on a security camp in Assam’s Tinsukia district early on Friday, triggering a swift retaliation by troops.

 

The attack occurred around 12.30 am at the Army’s Kakopathar Company base, close to the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border, a region long troubled by insurgent activities. Security sources said the assailants fired from a moving vehicle before fleeing under cover of darkness.

 

“Around 12.30 am, unidentified terrorists fired at the Kakopathar Company location from a moving vehicle. The troops on duty retaliated immediately and effectively took caution to avoid collateral damage to civilian houses in the vicinity,” a defence spokesperson said.

 

The spokesperson added that “no major injuries were sustained other than minor abrasions to three personnel. The area has been sanitised and joint searches in coordination with the police are being carried out.”

 

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Following the exchange of fire, Army and police teams launched a large-scale combing operation to track down the militants. Local residents claimed the attackers might have escaped across the border into Arunachal Pradesh in a truck after carrying out what the Army described as “speculative firing using automatic weapons.”

 

The proscribed ULFA(I), led by fugitive commander Paresh Baruah, later claimed responsibility for the attack. The outfit described the strike as part of its self-declared “operation vengeance,” asserting that its “military wing” had carried out the assault.

 

In a statement, the insurgent group said the attack was meant to send a message to the Indian security establishment that “no amount of force using the latest technology can dissuade the outfit from pursuing its aim.”

 

The Army has stepped up surveillance along key routes in Upper Assam and reinforced its border patrols after the incident, sources said. Security agencies fear the ULFA(I), which has been facing a sustained counter-insurgency offensive, may attempt similar attacks in the run-up to the winter months when movement through forested terrain becomes easier.