The three police commando units in Manipur’s Moreh town will be relocated in the wake of the attacks on security forces, said the state government’s security advisor Kuldiep Singh on Thursday, reported PTI.
On Wednesday, Indian Reserve Battalion commando Takhellambam Sieleshwor Singh and Manipur Rifles commando Wangkhem Somorjit Meetei were shot dead in separate attacks in Moreh, a town along the border with Myanmar. Six other security personnel were injured.
The situation in Moreh has been tense following an ambush on security forces by suspected insurgents on December 30, after which a curfew was imposed.
On the recent attacks, Kuldiep Singh said on Thursday that the current locations of the commando units were unsuitable and made them vulnerable targets.
“Yesterday morning, militants targeted the commando posts at three locations – two hotels and SBI Moreh,” he said. “After numerous coordination meetings, it was concluded that the units were positioned in the lower areas of the town, making them susceptible to attacks from hill areas.
He added: “We have decided to relocate the units to higher areas of the town, where they can effectively counter the militants.”
Singh also added that additional forces, including one company of the Border Security Force, two Army columns and four casper vehicles have arrived in Moreh. A helicopter from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has also arrived in the border town.
Due to the deteriorating law and order situation in the town, Manipur Home Department Commissioner T Ranjit Singh had written to the ministry asking for helicopters for medical emergencies and to airlift troops and weaponry to the area. Singh had asked the helicopters to be sent to Imphal for at least seven days.
Meanwhile, several gunfights were reported on Wednesday night along the foothills between the Imphal Valley and hill areas after the killing of two police commandos. At least five people from the Meitei community were shot dead in two separate incidents between Wednesday and Thursday.
A volunteer safeguarding his village was killed during a gunfight at the Kangchup village along the boundary between the Imphal West and Kangpokpi districts on Wednesday night.
The other four Meiteis were killed on Thursday afternoon in the Bishnupur district. They were identified as Oinam Ahongjao Singh, his son Oinam Manitomba Singh, Thiyam Somen Singh and Ningthoujam Neta.
Manipur has been gripped by ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since early May. Over 200 people have been killed since the conflict broke out and nearly 67,000 persons have been forced to flee their homes.
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