GUWAHATI, May 4 � Following withdrawal of the Khaplang faction of the NSCN from the ceasefire agreement with the Government of India and involvement of militants belonging to the outfit in acts of violence including attacks on security personnel, a full-scale operation has been launched in Nagaland.
Highly placed security sources told The Assam Tribune that the division in the ranks of the NSCN(K) is now complete with the chairman of the outfit SS Khaplang withdrawing from the ceasefire agreement with the Government of India. However, a breakaway faction of the NSCN has decided to continue with the agreement. Sources said the government would continue the ceasefire with the faction which is keen on it. However, sources admitted that till now, it is not clear how many of the members of the outfit are with Khaplang and how many are with the breakaway faction.
Sources said a formal ceasefire agreement with the NSCN(K) was signed way back in 2000, but formal talks on the demands of the outfit did not start and the government was having political dialogues with the NSCN(I-M). Sources said one major problem is that Khaplang is not an Indian citizen; he belongs to Myanmar. Moreover, despite the ceasefire agreement, Khaplang was giving shelter to members of different militant groups in the bases of the outfit in Myanmar. In fact, a number of militant groups of the region including the United Liberation Front of Asom(Independent) and NDFB(S) have been using facilities provided by the NSCN(K) in Myanmar and the matter was taken up with the leaders of the outfit on several occasions.
Sources revealed that according to information available with security agencies, Khaplang had signed some kind of a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmarese government some time back and he was under pressure from the ULFA(I) and other active militant groups of the region to pull out of the ceasefire agreement with the Government of India.
Meanwhile, Army sources said a massive combing operation has been launched following the killing of eight Assam Rifles personnel by militants belonging to NSCN(K) in Nagaland yesterday. A militant was also killed in the incident. Five of the injured security personnel have been brought to Jorhat for treatment and their condition is stated to be stable.
