Manipur ambush: Security forces launch major offensive

Security forces have launched major combing operations in and around Manipur's Chandel district and secured the border with Myanmar to stop the militants, who killed six Assam Rifles men in an ambush recently, from fleeing into the neighbouring country.

The operation by soldiers from Assam Rifles and the Army started on the evening of May 24, a day before Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag visited the area, defence sources said.

They said helicopters have also been pressed into operation and the aim is to nab the perpetrators.

The Co-ordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of banned outfits of the state, had yesterday claimed responsibility for the May 22 ambush on the Assam Rifles convoy.

In a press statement, CorCom also claimed looting of six weapons -- one LMG, one INSAS rifle and four AK-56 rifles from the army personnel.

The ambush occurred when the personnel of 29 Assam Rifles were returning to their camp after inspecting a landslide site at Holenjang village in the interior tribal district.