LAMKA/IMPHAL, February 26: A powerful Improvise Explosive Device (IED) explosion at Churachandpur district today early morning killed one army personnel and a mine detector dog of the army and left three others injured.
The IED which was planted by unidentified person(s) on the roadside at a place located between Khiang zang and Tollen village in Churachandpur district exploded today around 6:40 am killing an army man, a mine detector dog and left three other army men of the 1/11 Gorkha Regiment who were on foot patrol proceeding towards Kangvai on Tiddim Road injured.
The blast killed the dog on the spot while the army personnel succumbed to his injury after being airlifted to the Leimakhong Army hospital.
The bomb was planted near a bridge on the Tolbung side of the village and the intensity of the blast was such that the sound was heard from Lamka town which is proximately 10 kilometer away from blast site.
The deceased has been identified as Lance Naik Wagh Kailash (29) Army No 155726131 of Maharashtra and the other three injured have been identified as Lance Naik Sunil Kumar, Naib Subedar Raj Bahadur Rai and Riflemen Amit Tamang.
Meanwhile, when IFP contacted Kuki State Demand Committee members who are imposing bandh demanding for a separate Kuki state, its secretary of Information and publicity George Guite has clarified that KSDC is in no way connected nor have any knowledge about bomb blast and said that they stand for non violence and condemned the blast in the strongest term and demanded that the responsible organization should clarify on it and clear the air as the blast occurred in the midst of the bandh called by the KSDC.
Meanwhile, the banned Revolutionary People’s Front has in a press statement claimed the bomb attack on a foot patrol team of 1/11 Gorkha Rifles which had killed one and left three personnel of the Gorkha Rifles injured at a place in between S Kotlen and Bangla Khul today morning at around 7 am was carried out by the “Special Warfare Team” of PLA.
The statement signed by the Chief of department of publicity, RPF Bangkim has further claimed responsibility for an attack at the 24 Assam Rifles camp near Soibol Khul in Chandel district on February 21 at around 10 pm and said that it was carried out by “Tactical Command” of PLA.
The statement also claimed that during the attack there were some casualties on the Assam Rifles side and said that the security forces are hiding the report of casualties on their side as they always do.
Meanwhile in an unrelated incident another IED weighing 1.50 kilogram was found this morning at around 6:45 am near the gate of 25 Battalion Border Road Task Force (BRTF) headquarter which is closely located to Lamphel police station.
Another IED blast occurred last night at around 6:30 pm few meters away from BRTF headquarter gate however bur no one was injured in the explosion.
While checking the area, the IED bomb weighing around 1.50 kg was found planted on the roadside with a remote control device to trigger it. However, timely detection of the bomb has help the police bomb experts in exploding the bomb safely, police said.
The IED bomb was set off at Lamphel dumping site at around 9.30 am today by the police bomb experts.