GUWAHATI Assam’s Director General of Police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh has advised the youth of the State to stay away from unsafe conflict zones by not falling prey to the recruitment campaigns of extremist groups.
His appeal through conventional and social media platforms followed a drone strike on a mobile unit of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) in Myanmar’s Sagaing Division on January 7.
“...it is reported that there’s a lot of conflict going on in those areas where camps of the only remaining banned insurgent group of Assam are located. The conflict is reported to be between the local army, People’s Defence Forces, and (an) alliance of insurgent groups,” Mr. Singh said.
He was referring to the ULFA (I) camps in Myanmar, a country caught in a civil war since a military coup in February 2021.
“Difficult to say who’s targeting whom. It’s an advice and a request to youngsters from Assam not to fall prey to recruitment campaign of such militant groups. Moreover, those in camps there are also advised to come back to homeland instead of staying in unknown unsafe places. Stay safe, stay away from unsafe conflict zones,” he said.
The ULFA (I) claimed the Indian armed forces carried out drone attacks on its mobile camp in Myanmar, injuring two of its members. The outfit said three bombs were dropped from the drones but one of them failed to explode.
Neither the Army nor the paramilitary Assam Rifles, which guards the 1,643 km India-Myanmar border, responded officially to the allegation. An Army officer keeping watch on the security scenario along the border said he was not aware of any development in Myanmar.
The ULFA (I) had carried out a series of low-intensity blasts ahead of the signing of a peace accord between the government and the pro-talks faction of the ULFA on December 29, 2023. There are reports of a few men and women having joined the ULFA(I) over the past few months.
