Three soldiers injured as ULFA(I) militants attack Army camp in Assam

Dispur: Three Army personnel sustained minor injuries in an attack carried out by suspected members of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), or ULFA(I), on a security camp in Kakopathar area of Assam’s Tinsukia district early Friday morning.

According to defence officials, the attackers opened fire from a moving vehicle around 12.30 am, prompting the troops to retaliate immediately. The Army avoided collateral damage to nearby civilian houses during the exchange. The militants fled the scene after “speculative firing using automatic weapons”.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma confirmed that the injured soldiers were treated and have returned to duty. He alleged that ULFA(I) and other groups “controlled from Myanmar” are making coordinated attempts to carry out such attacks, adding that similar incidents have been reported in parts of Nagaland recently.

The area has been sanitised and a joint search operation with the police is underway. Officials recovered the truck allegedly used in the attack, bearing registration number AS 25 EC 2359, abandoned near the Thapabari-Tengapani area close to the Nav Dihing river in Arunachal Pradesh.

The outlawed ULFA(I), in a statement, claimed responsibility for the assault, calling it ‘operation vengeance’ and declaring that “no amount of force using the latest technology can dissuade the outfit from pursuing its aim”.

Chief Minister Sarma reiterated his appeal to the banned group to abandon violence and return to peace talks.

The attack took place near the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in Kakopathar, Tinsukia, when unidentified assailants fired on an Army company location from a moving vehicle. The incident occurred around 12.30 am on Friday. Defence sources confirmed that three personnel suffered minor abrasions but no major injuries.

The Assam government and central agencies are on high alert following the incident. The Army has launched coordinated searches with state police across border regions.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the attack was part of a series of recent “coordinated attempts” by ULFA(I) and other insurgent groups allegedly operating under influence from across the Myanmar border. He urged ULFA(I) to rejoin the peace process and end violence.

The ULFA(I), which has long sought Assam’s sovereignty, has in recent years claimed responsibility for sporadic attacks targeting security forces. The latest assault underscores ongoing tensions along India’s northeast frontier.