Suspected ULFA (I) and NSCN (K-YA) insurgent groups jointly attacked an Assam Rifles camp near Hatman village in Manmao circle of Changlang district, injuring four Assam Rifles personnel. The injured were evacuated from the camp for treatment. Around 45 armed operatives carried out the strike on the camp.
This appears to be a direct response to the 15 July attack in which three senior ULFA (I) leaders were killed and at least 19 others were injured in what the group claimed were aerial strikes by Indian security forces along the India-Myanmar border. The ULFA (I) had alleged that the Indian Army targeted multiple mobile camps located near the Nagaland-Myanmar and Arunachal Pradesh-Myanmar borders using 150 drones.
The Yung Aung faction and the ULFA (I) had earlier issued a joint statement, announcing their decision to boycott the Independence Day celebrations. In that statement, they urged the people of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland to reject the celebration by staying indoors on 15 August.
The audacity of the ULFA and the NSCN in attacking a camp inside Indian territory should prompt the authorities to take serious note. There were already concerns about a possible retaliatory strike on Indian forces following the drone attacks on the rebel camps, but the apparent unpreparedness of the Assam Rifles raises questions about its readiness.