From Our Correspondent
TURA: The general headquarters of the banned Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) operating deep inside the jungles of Durama Hills in East Garo Hills has been busted by security forces and one militant reportedly shot dead on Friday morning.
East Garo Hills Police commandos backed by CoBRA units of the CRPF launched a daring daybreak raid on the GNLA general camp which had been operating for several months in a thickly forested and inaccessible terrain.
Police sources reveal that when the attack was launched on the camp, the militants returned fire from high-powered automatic rifles in an attempt to stall the invasion of their camp.
The gun battle lasted over an hour and one militant was reportedly shot dead during the encounter. At the time of filing this report security forces were still conducting combing operations in the vicinity of the camp.
The destruction of the general camp is said to be a major blow for GNLA chief Sohan D Shira since it housed the outfit’s cadres and was also used to provide training to new recruits. It is the second most important camp of the outfit after the central headquarters which oversees all operations of the group under the direction of the GNLA chief.
UALA behind Nangalbibra attack: Police
The United A’chik Liberation Army (UALA) headed by ANVC-B deserter Norrok X Momin was behind the attack on the district council weigh bridge at Nengkra on Thursday night in which one employee was killed.
South Garo Hills Police have recovered a demand note of the UALA which was left by the militants after they attacked the weigh bridge. The UALA had demanded twenty lakh rupees as tax from the lessee of the GHADC weigh bridge.
As many as thirteen armed militants emerged from the jungles at 10:30 am in the night and without a warning began to open fire on the gate operators who were five in number. In the indiscriminate firing Fridaybirth T Sangma of Dorengkegre village was killed.
The weigh bridge is located approximately six kms from Nangalbibra police station.
A businessman from Nangalbibra, Kevin Momin, who was passing through the area in his vehicle during the attack, narrowly escaped getting killed. Although his vehicle was damaged in the firing he managed to take it to Nengkhra police outpost.
“The attack was masterminded by UALA militant Singbirth Marak alias Norrok X Momin,” informed South Garo Hills SP Davis Nestell R Marak.
The militant has been terrorizing the region by first opening fire and then demanding extortion money, inform police.
Last year, the UALA militant chief was behind the attack on Nangalbibra market in which five civilians died when he opened indiscriminate firing.
This year, in May, five coal labourers were lined up outside their coal quarry and executed by the same outfit over extortion demands.
ANVC-B terms UALA as ‘killers’
The ANVC-B has criticized the UALA for its reign of terror and claims that their greed for money and power through the barrel of the gun has resulted in most cadres leaving the organization.
“Norok and Jagring are desperate as most of their cadres have deserted them. The killings in Jadi area, attacks on Deborah Marak and the Williamnagar jail were never authorized by ANVC-B but were the incidents which brought differences and made them flee fearing action of the Chairman,” claimed Nado R Marak, spokesperson of the ANVC-B.