One Assam Rifles personnel was killed and four others sustained injuries after a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeted an Assam Rifles vehicle near Sukhovi in Nagaland on Monday, according to preliminary reports.
Security officials said the explosion occurred while the Assam Rifles convoy was moving through the area. The force of the blast caused casualties among the personnel travelling in the vehicle. The injured were immediately evacuated for medical treatment, while the area was cordoned off by security forces.
A massive search and area domination operation has since been launched to trace those responsible for the attack. Security agencies are also examining the blast site to determine the nature of the explosive device and establish the sequence of events. Further details are awaited as the investigation continues. The incident marks the second major attack on Assam Rifles personnel in the Northeast within a week, raising fresh concerns over militant activity in the region.
On July 6, two personnel of the 40th Battalion of the Assam Rifles were killed after suspected militants ambushed a convoy in Manipur's Ukhrul district. The attack triggered a prolonged gunfight between the militants and security forces, followed by an extensive search operation in the surrounding area.
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The two slain personnel were identified as Warrant Officer Balwant Singh and Rifleman C.M. Singh, who was reportedly driving one of the convoy vehicles at the time of the ambush. Both sustained critical injuries during the attack and later succumbed despite receiving immediate medical attention, officials said.
The Assam Rifles, India's oldest paramilitary force, has long been at the forefront of counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast and has frequently been targeted by militant groups operating in the region.
In another such incident last November, four Assam Rifles personnel were injured after militants opened fire on a routine patrol in Manipur's Tengnoupal district along the India-Myanmar border. The ambush took place near Border Pillar No. 87, close to Saibol village, when the patrol team came under sudden attack from suspected insurgents.
Security forces have since intensified surveillance and anti-insurgency operations across vulnerable areas of the Northeast to prevent further attacks and track down those involved in recent incidents.
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