IMPHAL, May 26: The Co-ordination Committee (CorCom) has claimed responsibility for the ambush on a patrol party of 29 Assam Rifles at a spot between Hengsi and Tuyang in Chandel district on May 22 resulting in the death of six soldiers including a junior commission officer.
The deadly attack was carried out by a team of the Joint Fighting Force as part of Operation Yenning under the supervision of Joint Military Commission, claimed the apex body of valley-based militant groups.
In a press release issued by its publicity committee today, CorCom stated that besides the death of six personnel, another seven also suffered injuries. It confirmed that six weapons including four AK-56 rifles, one LMG and one Insas rifle belonging to the security personnel were seized by its cadres during the attack.
The valiant soldiers of JFF who had participated in the mission returned back without suffering any casualty and they were accorded a warm welcome at a simple function held at the JFF military base, it added.
A united movement at the mass level has become inevitable to regain the independence of our land after the forced annexation. In this mission, the need to develop military might cannot be ignored.
The first step of building military might is the congregation of the masses and their united participation in the struggle to regain the lost freedom, the release from CorCom stated.
On the other hand, CorCom said the activities of the security force in the aftermath of the attack on 29 AR personnel, torturing and detaining innocent villagers from the surrounding areas, and the statement from the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh declaring strongest actions against the revolutionary groups of WESEA have clearly exposed the truth that contrary to repeated assertions that Manipuris are Indians, deep in their hearts they consider them as enemies.
At the same time, CorCom dismissed as false reports based on information released by security forces that the latter have inflicted heavy damages to militants during retaliatory attack at their camps.
The militants claimed that the reports were fabricated by demoralised security force as a distraction from the ignominious defeat in the battlefield on May 22.