Houses torched, woman shot by suspected Kuki militants in 3 Manipur villages; residents take shelter in jungles

IMPHAL: A woman was shot at and more than 20 houses were burnt after suspected Myanmar-based Kuki militants launched coordinated attacks on three villages along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Kamjong district early Thursday, police sources said.

Police said the attacks targeted Choro, Wanglee and Namlee villages.

The injured woman, a Myanmar citizen sheltering at a refugee camp in Namlee, suffered a bullet wound to her thigh and was shifted to Imphal for treatment, a police officer said.

Police said 20 houses were burnt in Choro, while one house each was set ablaze in Wanglee and Namlee, forcing residents to flee.

Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL), an apex body of the Tangkhul Nagas, alleged the attacks were carried out by the Kuki National Army-Burma (KNA-B) backed Peoples’ Defence Force (PDF), an armed group operating in Myanmar.

“The Tangkhul Naga villages, namely Choro, Wanglee and Namlee under the jurisdiction of Kamjong district of Manipur, were simultaneously over-ran at about 3.30am on Thursday as the settlements were bombed via drones, several houses razed to the ground, villagers looted and fired upon by the foreign war party,” the TNL said.

TNL said a civilian was also injured in Choro and alleged villagers were rounded up and tortured.

“The external aggression on the Indian soil has created panic, fear and insecurity among the citizens as women, children and other villagers were rendered homeless and are now taking shelter in a jungle, while many others remain missing,” it said.

KNA-B has denied its involvement. “KNA-B is not involved in any activities within Indian territory,” it said. “Our mission is to restore democracy in Myanmar. We have consistently called for peace and dialogue between all parties in the region and urge the communities in Ukhrul and Kamjong to avoid escalating these incidents into an ethnic conflict,” it added.

Former Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh described the attack as “cross-border terrorism” and said indigenous communities faced sustained external aggression from across the Indo-Myanmar border. He called for stronger border security measures and said central and state forces must remain prepared to protect civilians and ensure stability.
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