A self-styled ‘Sergeant Major’ of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent (ULFA-I) was killed in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Army and Assam Rifles in Arunachal Pradesh's Namsai district, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

According to defence authorities, the operation commenced on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday following credible intelligence inputs about the presence of ULFA-I cadres in the 6 Mile Lekang Khampti area of Namsai. Security forces made contact with the militants in the early hours before engaging them in a brief encounter.

Subsequent searches carried out after daybreak led to the discovery of the body of one militant, identified as Iwon Axom, who held the designation of self-styled Sergeant Major within the ULFA-I ranks.

From the site, troops recovered one rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) round, and three rucksacks containing assorted materials.

Following the encounter, security forces intensified combing operations in the surrounding forested terrain to flush out any remaining insurgents. Additional columns from the Army, Assam Rifles, state police, and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed to reinforce the ongoing operation.

Notably, the ULFA-I outfit recently carried out an attack on an Army Company Operating Base (COB) in Kakopathar, Tinsukia district of eastern Assam, on 17 October. The latest operation is believed to be part of the security forces’ coordinated response aimed at dismantling remaining ULFA-I modules operating along the inter-state border zone between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Based On PTI Report