Manipur policereleased a statement confirming the firefight and the death toll at Leithao village near Saibol.Police have found the bodies, but no weapon near the deceased. While official information on the identities of those killed and the killers is yet to be disclosed, security sources suggested that the deceased are likely hardcore members of a Myanmar-based insurgent group.
According to a security source, a group of about 24 members engaged in a fierce fight with suspected cadres of Myanmar‘s pro-democracy People’s Defence Force near the border early in the morning.
Group involved in shootout infiltrated via jungle route
It is speculated that group of insurgents from Myanmar was ambushed by rivals from the hills in Leithao, leading to fatalities.
“Armed rebels based in Myanmar have been infiltrating into Manipur through the porous border in large numbers for the past several months taking advantage of the conflict in the state,” the source said. The specific group involved in Monday’s shootout reportedly infiltrated through the jungle route, avoiding security forces in Saibol areas of Tengnoupal district.
The source noted that the conflict between Myanmar’s junta soldiers and People’s Defence Force in the Sagaing region along the international border has made the area less safe for Indian insurgent groups that had established bases with support from the Myanmarese military decades ago.
Watch Manipur: 13 militants killed in fighting between two militant groups
