GUWAHATI: The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom – Independent (ULFA-I) has claimed responsibility for the joint ambush on a convoy of the 19th Assam Rifles in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday morning.
Two other proscribed militant outfits, NSCN (K) and PLA of Manipur, along with ULFA-I had carried out the ambush.
In a statement released to the media on Monday, ULFA-I claimed that “two jawans have been killed on the spot and others injured in the ambush in a joint military offensive against the occupational forces combined team of the Naga army (NSCN/GPRN), ULFA (I) and RPF [PLA].”
Speaking to The Shillong Times on Monday, Assam Rifles PRO, Colonel Sanjiv Sethi however confirmed that one jawan died while another was critically injured and shifted to hospital.
He however did not divulge details when asked about the names of the deceased and injured.
Reports said that a water tanker of the Assam Rifles was ambushed near Tengmo village under Jairampur sub-division in Changlang district around 9 am on Sunday and that the exchange of fire lasted for about half an hour.
Meanwhile, a combined search by Assam Rifles, Arunachal Pradesh police and the CRPF is underway; police sources told the media.
In May last year, suspected NSCN-K militants had carried out a similar attack on an Assam Rifles water tanker in Nagaland’s Mon district in which two personnel were killed and three others injured.