Kakopathar: A massive search operation is underway to hunt down the terrorists involved in the attack on a military camp in Kakopathar in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
Alert soldiers foiled a major attack on the camp of the Army’s Kakopathar Company soon after midnight on Friday. The terrorists, suspected to belong to the anti-peace talks Ulfa-Independent or Ulfa-(I), are suspected to have crossed over into Arunachal Pradesh.
According to defence ministry sources, the terrorists fired at the camp from a moving vehicle around 12.30 am. The soldiers on duty retaliated immediately, taking due caution to avoid collateral damage to civilian houses in the close vicinity.
It is being suspected that the attack was carried out using three Under Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGLs). The militants then used automatic weapons to engage the troops for nearly half an hour. Three soldiers suffered abrasions in the attack.
“The attackers wanted to take the Army by surprise. They knew that the reaction from the soldiers would be restrained as there is civilian property nearby. It is also possible that the terrorists had laid an ambush and were trying to draw out the troops. The area has been sanitised and joint searches in coordination with the police are being carried out,” an official said.
The attackers apparently came in a truck from the Doomdooma direction and fled towards Arunachal Pradesh after carrying out speculative firing using automatic weapons.
The suspected vehicle, bearing registration AS 25 EC 2359, was recovered from Tengapani Ghat near the Noa Dihing river along the Assam-Arunachal border. Security agencies in Arunachal Pradesh have also been alerted and are participating in the search.
The Ulfa-(I) has camps in Myanmar and has been trying to regroup in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by running extortion rackets. The banned outfit is also trying to recruit youth from the rural areas.
Locals said that they are scared after the attack. They fear that the ultras may use them as human shields while carrying out attacks on the Army.
