Imphal, Aug 4 (IANS) In a sustained series of operations, the Army and Assam Rifles units in close coordination with Manipur Police and other security forces arrested 15 active insurgent cadres and recovered 69 weapons, 16 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and varied ammunition, officials said on Monday.

Defence Spokesman Lt Col Amit Shukla said that based on specific information, combined forces conducted a series of raids during the past few days in Churachandpur, as well as Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishnupur and Thoubal districts and apprehended 15 hardcore militants and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition.

The arrested militants belonged to four banned militant outfits — United National Liberation Front (UNLF), Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL), Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP), and People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK).

According to Lt Col Shukla, the joint forces recovered 69 various types of weapons, 16 IEDs, a few grenades, other ammunition, radio sets, and other war-like stores.

These also included earlier looted service weapons, country-made arms, and explosives capable of causing mass casualties.

These coordinated actions underscore the firm resolve of the security forces to maintain peace and stability in the region while preventing the resurgence of insurgent activities, the defence spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a senior Manipur police official said earlier in the day that ten more militants of different banned outfits were arrested during the past 24 hours by the joint forces.

The ten militants arrested in three districts — Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur — belonged to various factions of the KCP and PREPAK.

Security personnel recovered pistols and various materials, including several mobile handsets, various documents, and some ammunition, from the possession of the arrested militants.

The arrested militants were involved in kidnapping, firing incidents, extortion, seeking monetary demands and collection of extortion money from schools located in the Imphal valley area.

–IANS

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