Kohima: A six-member team of the Joint Prisoners of war and missing in action Accounting Command (JPAC) from the United States is currently in Naga-land, investigating possible remains of aircrafts belong-ing to the Allied Forces that crashed or were shot down under the State’s territory during the Second World War (WWII) with American nationals on-board.
According to sources today, the JPAC is a task force of the US Government, set up to account for American nationals, who went missing in action during the past wars across the world. The team has been to Longsa village in Wokha district and is currently in Tuensang district cross-checking metallic remnants from WWII crash sites in the area and interacting with locals having knowledge about the war.
The JPAC has reportedly sent its teams to the Northeast Indian region several times in the past to investigate the places and remains of allied planes that were shot down in different parts of the region as per estimation of locations of the ‘last messages’ that were transmitted from the lost aircraft. The Allied Forces during the WWII, besides the land battle, used the Northeast region as an air route to supply arms and ammunition and food rations to the Chinese forces, who were battling with the Japanese and some of their aircrafts were believed to be lost in the region.
The current JPAC team is said to be camped at Noksen village in Tuensang district, scouring areas near Longra, Hukpong and Yangpi villages that are known as WWII crash sites. The team includes Captains Dave Gooch, Ken Tilley and Ben Sabard, General Sergeant Pedro Hernandez, Com-mission Officer David Castro and Lieutenant Colonel Capozzolla, sources said. (UNI)
