Dibrugarh: Two militants belonging to the NSCN-K (Ang Mai) faction were killed during an encounter with Assam Rifles troops in the thickly forested areas near Songking village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district on Monday, officials confirmed on Tuesday.Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the encounter site.The encounter took place at around 8.30pm on May 11 when Assam Rifles troops reportedly came under heavy fire from the militants during the search operation. The troops retaliated, leading to a fierce nightlong gunbattle that resulted in the elimination of two militants.The NSCN-K (Ang Mai) faction, in a statement issued on Tuesday, claimed that a unit of its “Naga Army” from the Pangsau Pass Command group came under what it described as “intense and unprovoked fire” from the 8 Assam Rifles, resulting in the death of two of its cadres. The outfit identified the deceased as Umkong from Nayang village in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district and Enu from Chithok village in Myanmar.In a separate but related development, another heavy exchange of firing was reported between Assam Rifles and militants near Chop village under Wakka Circle in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh on the same night. No casualties have been reported from this second exchange of fire.
