Ulfa (I) Cadre Killed in Namsai Encounter: Army Strikes Back After Recent Attack

Itanagar: A senior Ulfa (Independent) cadre, believed to be involved in the recent attack on an Army camp in Kakopathar, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Arunachal Pradesh’s Namsai district in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.The Army and Assam Rifles launched a joint operation in the MS-6 area of Namsai on the intervening night of Oct 21 and 22. During the operation, security forces made contact with a group of militants, according to a statement issued by defence PRO Lt Col Amit Shukla.At first light, a search of the area led to the recovery of the body of self-styled sergeant major Iwon Axom, an Ulfa (I) cadre and resident of Kardai Guri village in Assam’s Tinsukia district.

One rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) round, and three rucksacks were also seized from the site, the statement said.Officials said Axom was suspected to have played a role in the Oct 17 attack on the Kakopathar Army camp in Tinsukia district, where militants opened fire and hurled grenades from a moving vehicle, injuring three soldiers.Additional columns of security forces, including police and CRPF units, have been deployed to reinforce the cordon and intensify the ongoing operation, the statement added.Further details are awaited as the operation continues.