Fresh militant attack in Manipur’s Jiribam district, no casualties

Imphal, Oct 19 (IANS) In a fresh attack, suspected Kuki militants made a gun and bomb attack near a village police station in Manipur’s Jiribam district on Saturday, police said.

A senior police official in Imphal said that there were no casualties in the Kuki militants’ attack in the vicinity of the Borobekra police station.

"The armed militants fired from their sophisticated weapons targeting the Borobekra police station and the adjoining village. The guerillas also hurled bombs," he said.

The official said that the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Manipur Police personnel immediately retaliated, leading to a heavy exchange of fire between the two sides.

Amidst the gun battle between the security forces and the militants, additional security forces have rushed to the spot.

Soon after the exchange of fire broke out, villagers, including elderly persons, women and children, were moved to safer places under security.

Surrounded by deep forests, the mountainous Borobekra village is located around 30 km from Jiribam district town. The mixed populated Jiribam district, adjoining southern Assam, has witnessed several incidents of violence this year though the district was apparently peaceful even after the ethnic violence broke out in many districts of the northeastern state since May last year.

Saturday’s militant attack occurred five days after the crucial meeting between MLAs of the warring Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities in New Delhi on October 15. Naga legislators also attended the vital meeting. 17 months after the ethnic violence erupted in Manipur, the Ministry of Home Affairs held the first meeting with all three major communities -- Meitei, Kuki, and Naga -- in a bid to find a way to a peaceful solution to the protracted unrest. Sources said that around seven Ministers and 13 legislators from Meitei, Kuki and Naga communities took part in the meeting called by the Intelligence Bureau under the MHA.

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