Banned ULFA (I) member killed in encounter with army in Arunachal

A search at first light led to the recovery of the body of self-styled Sergeant Major Iwon Axom, a ULFA (I) cadre and resident of Kardai Guri village in Assam’s Tinsukia district

A senior cadre of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) believed to be involved in last week’s attack on an army camp in Assam’s Kakopathar, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Namsai district of Arunachal Pradesh in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.

One rifle, one RPG round and three rucksacks were also seized from the spot. (Representative file photo)

The Indian Army and Assam Rifles launched a joint operation in the MS-6 area of Namsai on the intervening night of October 21 and 22. Security forces established contact with a group of militants during the operation, a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence PRO Lt Col Amit Shukla said.

A search at first light led to the recovery of the body of self-styled Sergeant Major Iwon Axom, a ULFA (I) cadre and resident of Kardai Guri village in Assam’s Tinsukia district.

One rifle, one RPG round and three rucksacks were also seized from the spot, the statement said.

According to people aware of the matter, Axom is suspected to have been involved in the October 17 attack on the Kakopathar Army camp in Tinsukia district, in which three soldiers sustained minor injuries after militants opened fire and lobbed grenades at the camp from a moving vehicle.

Additional columns of security forces, including police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) units, have been inducted into the area to strengthen the cordon and intensify the ongoing operation, the statement added.

Further details are awaited as the operation continues.