Security forces reaching the spot found 13 bodies so far, he said, adding their identities were yet to be ascertained but they appeared not to be locals. Tengnoupal district shares a porous border with Myanmar.

Guwahati: Around 13 people have died in fresh clashes in the Tengnoupal district of Manipur on Monday. A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, told ET, “Information was received that a gun battle had broken out between two groups of militants at Leithu village near Saibol in Tengnoupal district. Once security forces reached there, they found 13 bodies in Leithu village. There were no weapons.”

He said that the incident took place in a jungle area near Leithao village in Tengnoupal district. Location of incident is approximately 10 km aerial distance from Indo Myanmar border.

Another police officer said that the 13 deceased people are suspected new recruits of Manipur's Valley-based militant outfit, Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA), and its political wing, the Revolutionary Peoples’ Front (RPF). “It appears that they were captured and killed,” the officer added.

Several militant outfits of Northeast India have bases in Myanmar. Recently, the oldest Meitei insurgent groups from Manipur -United National Liberation Front (UNLF) - signed a peace accord with the Centre and the Manipur government. The outfit had its bases in Myanmar. Sources in the intelligence agencies told ET, “Militant outfits operate from Taga inside Myanmar.

In Sagaing region of Myanmar, clashes have intensified between the military Junta forces and the pro-democracy supporters recently. Outfits like PLA, the Peoples’ Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, the Kangleipak Communist Party, the Kanglei Yaol Kanba Lup, the Coordination Committee and the Alliance for Socialist Unity Kangleipak have their bases in Myanmar. Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (Khaplang) also had its bases in Myanmar.”

Unprecedented ethnic violence erupted in Manipur on May 3, following a tribal solidarity rally that turned violent in Churachandpur district, leading to retaliatory violence between Chin-Kuki-Zo and the Meitei communities across the state. Manipur police has stated that as many as 175 people were killed, 1,108 others injured while 32 are missing in the ethnic strife since May 3.

On Sunday, the Manipur government lifted the ban on mobile internet services in large parts of the state. The ban would, however, continue in border areas of nine districts. The withdrawal of the ban on mobile internet services would be effective till December 18.