Guwahati: Three army solders were killed and at least four others critically wounded in an ambush by heavily armed joint group of Ulfa(I) and NSCN(K) near Digboi in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district on early Saturday.
The army soldiers belonged to 15 Kumaon regiment. The incident took place when army solders were moving towards Pengri, their base headquarters in Tinsukia district.
The militants first triggered an IED blast, which was followed by indiscriminate fire on a Maruti Gypsy and a truck in which army soldiers were travelling.
Informing that incident took place at about 5.30 am, Tinsukia district SP Mugdhajyoti Dev Mahanta told reporters, “It was certainly the handiwork of anti-talk faction of Ulfa with the support of NSCN (K) rebels. The initial assessment suggests involvement of at least 15 armed rebels in ambush inside the Upper Dehing reserve forest.”
The army PRO Lt. Col Suneet Newton said that army soldiers were on their counter-insurgency operations. “The militants had planted IED on the road which blew up the 2.5-tonne truck. Soon after the IED blasts, the militants also opened indiscriminate fire on the army soldiers,” he said adding that the Army has launched a massive combing operations in the area.
There was ‘heavy shelling’ on the two army vehicles as they were moving from Pengeri towards Digboi. “There was heavy shelling from inside the jungle. They also used an IED, apart from firing with Rocket Propelled Granades and at least one grenade,” police said. The injured army solders were airlifted to a nearby army base hospital with multiple injuries.
