New Delhi: A high-level meeting, chaired by Union home minister Rajnath Singh and attended by defence minister Manohar Parrikar, Army Chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag and national security adviser Ajit Doval, took stock of the situation following the ambush in the north-eastern state.
The Army, too, has ordered a probe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack as mindless and very distressing. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar also condemned the attack and assured that “those who have committed this cowardly act will be brought to book”.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi also offered his condolences to the families of the slain soldiers.
According to reports from Imphal, soldiers from the 6 Dogra regiment were on a road-opening patrol (ROP) as part of its daily routine along the Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 km from Imphal, when it was attacked by militants, who first set off a powerful IED followed by heavy firing at the convoy with RPGs and automatic weapons. “Twenty Armymen were killed and 11 injured in the attack,” an Army officer said.
The police in Manipur said a suspected militant was also killed. The attack occurred at around 8.30 am at a place between Paralong and Charong villages. “This seems to be the work of the PLA, with suspected support from the KYKL group. We are still waiting for more inputs,” Manipur home secretary J. Suresh Babu was quoted by news agencies as saying.
The area is reportedly just about 15 to 20 km from the India-Myanmar border. A reinforcement party of the security forces was rushed to the spot to conduct a combing operation. The injured soldiers have been airlifted to Dimapur, in Nagaland. for treatment.
Home minister Rajnath Singh ordered an all-out offensive to trace and eliminate the militants. The security establishment will examine whether there has been an intelligence failure and the Army too is likely to probe whether SOPs were violated in any manner.
