Imphal: A top commander of the Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM was killed and two others injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast along the Manipur-Myanmar border on Wednesday.
According to reports, Hosiya Asumi, a self-styled Major in the NSCN-IM, was killed on the spot when the IED, reportedly planted by the Kuki National Army (Burma), detonated near the Wanglee and Namlee villages in Manipur‘s Ukhrul district around 7:30 am. The identities of the injured cadres are yet to be confirmed.
The incident occurred in a area marked by escalating tensions between the NSCN-IM and the KNA (Burma). The IED was planted approximately one kilometer from Wanglee village in Manipur and Phayang village in Myanmar.
This is the latest in a series of clashes between the two groups. On June 15, a self-styled NSCN-IM captain was killed in an ambush by the KNA (Burma) near Homlin, also along the Manipur-Myanmar border.
Despite ongoing peace talks with the Indian government, the NSCN-IM remains embroiled in armed conflict with other militant groups in the region.