GUWAHATI, Jan 13 � Though the militants belonging to the Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB) are on the run due to operations launched by police and security forces, security sources admitted that sustained operations would have to be continued for some time to break the backbone of the outfit, which was responsible for the killing of more than 80 persons in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts on December 23.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, highly placed security sources said the intensified operations launched against the outfit following the killings of December 23, led to the killing of two hardcore militants, while more than 55 others were arrested. However, the commander-in-chief of the outfit G Bidai, who allegedly masterminded the attacks on Adivasi people, is still elusive.
Sources revealed that according to inputs available, some of the militants moved towards Bhutan, but it is still not known whether they managed to enter the neighbouring country. In the wake of requests by the Government of India, the Bhutan Army has also launched operations along the bordering areas and in fact, the security forces of both India and Bhutan are launching coordinated offensives.
One input available with the security forces indicated that some of the militants buried their weapons and tried to mingle with the common people to avoid arrest. However, security sources asserted that the militants would not be able to avoid arrest for a long time and the operations would have to be sustained for some time.
