Reported by : Avik Chakraborty

Dibrugarh: Two militants belonging to the NSCN-K (Ang Mai) faction were killed during a heavy exchange of fire with security forces in the Miao area of Changlang district on Monday evening.

The outfit identified the deceased as Lt Col Umkong from Nayang village in the Tangshang region and Sgt Enu from Chithok village in the Leinong region.

According to security sources, troops of the Assam Rifles launched a search operation in and around Songking village after receiving specific intelligence about militant movement in the area. During the operation, they came in contact with armed militants, which led to a gunfight.

The encounter is said to have taken place around 8:30 PM on May 11 in a general area under the Miao Circle.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, NSCN-K (Ang Mai) claimed that a unit of its "Naga Army" under the Pangsau Pass Command came under heavy and unprovoked firing from the 8th Assam Rifles, resulting in the deaths of two of its cadres.

However, official confirmation from the security forces regarding the encounter was still awaited at the time of reporting.

An official source said the militants were allegedly involved in pressuring villagers for extortion money. Based on intelligence inputs, security forces carried out a large-scale combing operation in the area, which escalated into a fierce night-long gunbattle in the forest, leading to the killing of two cadres.

After the encounter, security forces continued search operations in nearby forest areas to ensure no other militants were hiding.

In a separate incident, another exchange of fire was reported late Monday night between Assam Rifles personnel and suspected militants near Chop village under Wakka circle in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh. No casualties were reported in that incident.