The ambush took place in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh.
An Assam Rifles patrol team was targeted today by suspected militants in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district, sources said, adding that one jawan was killed in the line of duty.
The incident took place at Sanliam Tri-Junction on Khonsa Lazu road of the district, which shares border with Myanmar. Massive search operations are being carried out in the area, sources said.
Security forces in Northeast India are being targeted yet again after a brief spell of calm.
Three districts of Arunachal Pradesh – Tirap, Longding and Changlang, which share porous borders with Myanmar, have long been under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to security forces including shoot-to-kill.
These areas have not only been a transit routes but also sectors of operation for several banned militant groups of Assam and Nagaland. All the banned militant groups still have hideouts in Myanmar and use the borders to sneak in to carry out attacks on security forces.
Earlier this month, troops of the Assam Rifles came under attack in the Changlang district. The incident took place at Tengmo village under Jairampur police station of Changlang district, around 300 km from capital Itanagar.
The militants laid an ambush and when they saw an approaching water tanker of the Assam rifles in their range, they fired grenades and sprayed it with bullets from automatic weapons. One Assam Rifles jawan died from his injuries while another was injured, intelligence sources added.
On July 11, security forces gunned down at least six insurgents suspected to be members of the Naga underground group NSCN (IM) in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Last year, in a gruesome ambush, the then MLA from Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh Triong Aboh and 10 others were killed.