14 soldiers die in Manipur ambush

Published September 21, 2005

GUWAHATI, Sept 20: Fourteen soldiers were killed in an ambush by heavily-armed militants in one of the deadliest attacks in India’s restive northeastern state of Manipur in years, officials said on Tuesday.

The militants ambushed a security patrol near the village of Nariang, about 35km southwest of Manipur’s capital Imphal, late Monday.

“Unidentified rebels using automatic weapons ambushed a road patrol of the army’s Gorkha Rifles killing eight on the spot,” a spokesman said.

Six of 12 soldiers wounded in the attack died on their way to hospital.

The troops were returning to their base by truck after search operations when the rebels struck, the spokesman said.

The Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) rebel group has claimed responsibility for the attack, a local newspaper office said.

Police described the attack as the bloodiest by the influential rebel group, fighting for an independent homeland for the majority Meities, in recent years. —AFP

Opinion

Editorial

No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...
Kashmir question
Updated 05 Feb, 2025

Kashmir question

The important thing is to continue dialogue process, on bilateral disputes, Kashmir issue, and move beyond rigid positions.
Letters from jail
05 Feb, 2025

Letters from jail

OVER the past week, former prime minister Imran Khan has directly addressed his concerns to both the chief justice ...
Agriculture tax
05 Feb, 2025

Agriculture tax

WITH Sindh and Balochistan finally approving changes to their agriculture income tax laws to harmonise their AIT...