IMPHAL, January 2: The underground Peoples`™ Liberation Army, PLA, in a press statement today declared its ongoing operation `Operation Jackal` against the `Indian occupation force` have caused unprecedented casualties to the Indian army, but to save its prestige, they have been concealing the figures.
The statement said on December 23 at 11.30 am, the PLA set up a bomb booby trap for a party of 16 Assam Rifles who had come out along the Mahadev to Litan stretch of the Ukhrul road to intimidate Christmas parties. They were coming out on foot and waiting in the sun for their colleagues who were returning with their meals in a vehicle. In the bomb trap, one personnel was killed, the statement claimed.
Again on December 24, at 10:45 am, at a Nonggren and Nongpok Kakching in Imphal East under the Lamlai police station the PLA set up another bomb trap for a party of the 49 BSF D-Coy. It claimed that personnel of the unit together with those of the 40 AR were harassing innocent passers by.
On December 31, a little past 4pm the PLA again made a bomb trap attack on a 24 AR party at Kotha Khul in the Chandel district. It claimed that the bomb attack killed two personnel and some more were injured. The AR party were climbing up the hillside with back packs, it said. Two in the front of the patrol were killed on the spot and more who followed behind them were also injured, it added. The attacked party was left clueless and petrified, it further said.
The statement said the PLA will continue to wage war against the `occupation force` but also added it has been refraining from attacking local forces, such as the Manipur Police, Manipur Rifles, IRB etc. The statement also called upon the people to support its effort to gain freedom for Manipur.
Listing its assaults on the army, the statement said, it attacked the 21 AR on January 26, 2014 at Sajik Tampak; the 44 AR at Kamjong, Ukhrul on February 8; the 24 AR at Kambang Khullen at Chandel on March 11; the 1/11 Gurkha Rifles at Zou Khunom and Taikotang at Churachandpur on April 4; the 25 Madras Regiment, B-Coy at Taikotang, Singhat on May 14; then again on the 44 AR at Kangpat Khullen, Kamjong; it also made another attack on 26AR at Behiang on December 21, the statement said.
These attacks were conducted under different operations codenamed as `Operation Leopard`, `Operation Blue Eagle` etc, the statement further said.
The PLA statement also thanked all citizens who extended assistances in these operations.