Ten militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with Assam Rifles personnel near the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur’s Chandel district on Wednesday night, according to an official statement from the Indian Army’s Eastern Command.
The operation was initiated following specific intelligence about the movement of armed cadres belonging to a militant group in the vicinity of New Samtal village under Khengjoy Tehsil. Troops from the Assam Rifles unit, operating under the Army’s Spear Corps, promptly launched a targeted operation to intercept the militants.
“During the operation, the troops were fired upon by suspected cadres, to which they quickly reacted, redeployed and retaliated in a calibrated and measured manner,” the Indian Army’s Eastern Command stated in a post on social media platform X.
Acting on specific intelligence on movement of armed cadres nearby New Samtal village, Khengjoy Tehsil, #Chandel District near the #Indo_MyanmarBorder, #AssamRifles unit under #SpearCorps launched an operation on 14 May 2025.
During the operation,… pic.twitter.com/KLgyuRSg11
— EasternCommand_IA (@easterncomd) May 14, 2025
The ensuing exchange of fire resulted in the neutralization of ten militants, marking one of the more significant counter-insurgency operations in the region in recent months. Security forces have also recovered “a sizeable quantity of arms and ammunition” from the encounter site, though specific details about the weapons seized have not yet been released.
“Operation is still in progress,” the Army confirmed, suggesting that security forces are conducting thorough search operations in the area to ensure no militants have escaped and to recover any additional weapons or intelligence materials.
The Chandel district, where the encounter took place, has historically been a sensitive area for security operations due to its proximity to the porous Indo-Myanmar border. This geographical feature has traditionally allowed militant groups operating in the Northeast to move between the two countries, establishing bases and training camps in the densely forested terrain.
The Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force operating under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the operational control of the Indian Army, is specifically tasked with guarding the Indo-Myanmar border and conducting counter-insurgency operations in the northeastern states.
