Fire exchanged between army, militants
Imphal: Five Special Forces personnel of the Indian army were on Saturday injured in an ambush by militants in Chandel district of Manipur.
Army sources said an IED blast was triggered during a combing operation by the commandos.
This was followed by firing from light arms by the militants.
They said that even though five of the team were injured, the commandos fought back and managed to rescue those injured.
The sources said the incident happened in Sajik Tampak in Chandel district, which is close to the Myanmar border.
Chandel has witnessed many deadly attacks on security forces in the recent past.
Eighteen soldiers were killed in the district on June 5, 2015 in an ambush. On May 23 this year, six personnel of the Assam Rifles were killed in an ambush in Chandel.
The injured personnel were flown to the Army hospital at Leimakhong in Sadar Hills in a helicopter. The condition of two of them was stated to be serious. The militant outfit, People’s Liberation Army, Manipur claimed responsibility for the ambush the took place at Indo-Myanmar border village of Aisi.
Meanwhile, an improvised explosive device (IED) was found in front of the OPD of state-run Jawarhalal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences this afternoon, police said.
The IED was recovered by experts of Manipur Bomb squad and later taken to a safe place where it was detonated.
At a press meet, held at the premise of JNIMS complex later, Director L Deven asked those involved in the act about the reason to plant an IED in a hospital. “I am placing this question to them through you, the media,” Deven said. (PTI)