In a gruesome ambush, suspected rebels have killed an Indian colonel, four soldiers, and two civilians in the northeastern state of Manipur, reports NDTV.
Shockingly, the two civilians killed are the wife and the son of the colonel of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force of the Indian Army.
The deaths took place as the rebels ambushed a convoy of India’s paramilitary soldiers who were on their way to inspect a remote village in Churachandpur district on Saturday morning, a police officer in the state capital Imphal told AP.
"Five soldiers including Colonel Viplav Tripathi, Commanding Officer of 46 Assam Rifles, have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. The family of the Commanding Officer - wife and child - also lost their lives. DG and all ranks of Assam Rifles offer condolences to the brave soldiers and families," the Assam Rifles said in a statement.
Manipur-based terrorist group People's Liberation Army, or PLA, is believed to be behind the attack, though no group has claimed responsibility yet, police sources have said.
This is the first time that civilians have died in an ambush in this remote area of the district. The location is an extremely remote village around 50 km from Churachandpur.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh tweeted that a counter-operation has been launched to track down the terrorists.
The northeastern Indian state is plagued by a decades-old insurgency that seeks a separate homeland for its ethnic and tribal population.
Nearly 20 rebel groups are active in the remote state, which is expected to go to polls early next year.
In 2015, 20 soldiers were killed in an attack by terrorists in Manipur, after which the Army launched a surgical strike on their camp.
For decades, members of the Indian Army have been deployed to the area that has borders with Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, and Bhutan.
