New Delhi: In the wake of the violence in Assam, Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag on Friday to discuss the situation in the strife-torn state. General Suhag said that it was a review meeting over the security in Assam. "We are definitely going to intensify the operation in the state," he said while refusing to give any further details about the operations.
The Army has been called into flush out the Bodo militants in Assam. The operation has been code named 'All Out'. While 9000 troops are already present, more are expected to be added. Three units of Assam Rifles that specialise in jungle warfare have also been deployed.
The Army will start all-out operations against militants using their expertise in jungle warfare. The Army will be moving extra forces to the state - almost 60 companies are already operating there. 3000-4000 troops are on the ground. Assam's border with Bangladesh has been sealed. Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan will be cut-off. The first priority of the Army is to ensure that there are no more clashes between Bodos and Tribals. Meanwhile 25 relief camps have been set up in Kokrajhar for nearly 25,000 displaced people.
"The meeting was to review the security situation in Assam," the Army Chief said. Suhag said 66 Army columns (70 personnel in each column) have been deployed in Assam for counter insurgency operations. The GoC of the 4 Corps, located in the worst-hit Sonitpur district, heads the Unified Command which conducts the counter insurgency operations in Assam.
Sources said the Home Minister asked the Army Chief to ensure that peace returns to the violence-hit areas and there is no flare up. Singh told Suhag that army presence should be increased on the field in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, where there is a presence of NDFB militants.
Sources said the Home Minister is believed to have discussed the issue of coordinated operations with armies of Bhutan and Myanmar against the NDFB which has bases in the two neighbouring countries. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has already spoken to the Bhutan government which assured her of action against terror outfit.
Myanmar has also given assurance to flush out terrorists from their territories. Suhag told Singh that local Army commanders have been directed to ensure peace and bring confidence among common people, the sources said. The Home Minister had on Thursday promised a "time-bound" action against the Bodo militant group which carried out the massacre of Adivasi tribals, ruling out talks with the insurgent outfit.
Singh on Thursday had announced that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) would probe the attack on Adivasis by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland on Tuesday evening and the reprisals in which 78 people have been killed. The Home Minister had also ruled out any talks with NDFB(S).
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1xlaQRt
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment