Army claims successes in ‘Operation Somtal II’ in Manipur; As many 38 ULFA militants surrender in Assam
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    • The Army claimed successes in ‘Somtal Operation II’, with as many as five militant camps reportedly busted and 19 villages liberated. The operation was launched in November 2007 against the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) to liberate nearly 1,000 square km of Somtal located along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Chandel district. At least two major operations in 2006 (in January and December) had failed to clear the area of UNLF presence. Troops also managed to open the New Somtal Road that connects to the Imphal-Moreh route. The army also intended to set up a permanent base and to restore civil administration. The UNLF, on the other hand, claimed that ‘Operation Somtal II’ was only partially successful.

    Among other developments, as many as thirty-eight United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants surrendered before the security forces in Assam’s Baksa district on January 24. The surrendered militants deposited 27 pistols, 18 grenades, 22 detonators, 30 kg of explosives and 150 live ammunition of AK-47 assault rifle1. Assam police also arrested one Hafiz Rafiqul Islam from the Guwahati University campus for working as a conduit for the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) on January 252.

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