Top Naga militant responsible for killing Assam Rifles personnel arrested

Yanghang alias Mopa, said to be NSCN(K-YA)’s top cadre in India and two others were apprehended from Aboi in Mon district of Nagaland on Friday morning, in a joint operation carried out by Special Forces of the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles and intelligence agencies.

The most wanted militant of the NSCN (Khaplang-Yung Aung) faction was arrested in Nagaland on Friday. He was responsible for several ambushes which killed a number of Assam Rifles personnel in 2018 and 2019, an official said on Saturday.

Officials of the Assam Rifles suggested that the reward of ₹5 lakh announced by Lt Gen MM Naravane, the chief of the Eastern Command for information on insurgents involved in the May 25 incident, during his visit to Nagaland on June 5 may have got valuable inputs that led to the arrest. (HT FILE PHOTO)

Yanghang alias Mopa, said to be NSCN(K-YA)’s top cadre in India and two others were apprehended from Aboi in Mon district of Nagaland on Friday morning, in a joint operation carried out by Special Forces of the Indian Army, the Assam Rifles and intelligence agencies. A senior police official in Mon district confirmed the arrest of three insurgents.

“These people have been instrumental in many brutal and heinous crimes including the killing of two Assam Rifles soldiers recently…” said Major General PC Nair, Inspector General of the Assam Rifles, addressing the media in Kohima. Speaking of Yanghang’s involvement, Nair said he was not only instrumental in extortion and operations in the region including in Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur but also the mastermind of the two ambushes in Mon district of Nagaland in May 2019 and June 2018.

On May 25, two Assam Rifles personnel were killed in Tobu in Mon in an ambush said to be carried out by insurgents of the NSCN (K-YA). In June 2018, four Assam Rifles personnel died in Aboi in an attack said to be carried out by militants of the NSCN (K) which subsequently split into two factions after Khango Konyak was ousted as the chairman and replaced by Yung Aung.

The Khango Konyak faction of the NSCN joined the peace talks with the Government of India, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, officials of the Assam Rifles suggested that the reward of ₹5 lakh announced by Lt Gen MM Naravane, the chief of the Eastern Command for information on insurgents involved in the May 25 incident, during his visit to Nagaland on June 5 may have got valuable inputs that led to the arrest.

“The cash reward announced for information on these insurgents led to good inputs from the local population. An input was received about the presence of these insurgents in general area of Aboi yesterday…,” Nair said.