A dozen separatist groups in this state are fighting for ifreedom from India, which is an indication of the level of anti-Indian feeling there.
14 Indian soldiers killed in Manipur
Separatist guerrillas killed 14 soldiers in an ambush on an army patrol in Manipur, a military official said, one of the biggest attacks in the remote northeastern state in recent years. The ambush took place on Monday night in Bishenpur, a hilly and forested area some 40 km south of Imphal, the capital of the tiny state where more than a dozen militant groups are fighting for independence. About 20 guerrillas from the underground Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), which is fighting for Manipur’s secession from India, opened fire and hurled grenades on the patrol party, the official said. Three soldiers were wounded. “The attack has been a severe blow to the security forces,” he said on Tuesday. The turbulent northeast is home to more than two dozen insurgent outfits and at least 200 ethnic and tribal communities. The insurgent groups accuse New Delhi of plundering the natural resources of the region and neglecting the local economy.