Kohima: Two weeks after 18 Indian soldiers were killed by North East insurgents in Chandel in Manipur, the terrorist commander who allegedly led the assault is alleged to have returned to Nagaland after escaping the Indian Army's counter-insurgency raid into Myanmar, a media report said.
A report in the Indian Express said Niki Sumi was sighted by intelligence services last week in the forests near Myanmar-Nagaland border.
The government has been seeking the cooperation of Naga insurgent groups committed to the ceasefire with India to track down Sumi and his cadre.
On June 4, insurgents ambushed a military convoy in Manipur's Chandel district killing at least 18 army personnel and injuring 11 others. Naga insurgent outfit NSCN (K), with which the Centre abrogated ceasefire in March, has claimed responsibility for the ambush in Manipur.
The terror outfit in a release dated June 4, which was circulated in the media, claimed that the attack was a joint operation by it, Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup and Kangleipak Communist Party.
A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a road opening patrol (ROP) as part of its daily routine along Tengnoupal-New Samtal road, about 80 km from Imphal, when it was attacked by an unidentified insurgent outfit first with a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a police official had said here.
After the IED blast, the insurgents resorted to heavy firing at the convoy of four Army vehicles with RPGs and automatic weapons, Army sources said.
The attack occurred at around 9 AM when the convoy reached a place between Paralong and Charong villages.
After the ceasefire abrogation in March this year, NSCN(K) had on May 3 attacked and killed nine Assam Rifles personnel in Mon district. Another AR personnel was killed in Kohima on May 6 by the insurgent outfit, while four personnel of the para-military force were injured in an attack by the group at Kohima in April.
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