Indian Military Operation Kills 10 Rebels On Myanmar Border

ILUSTRATE/PHOTO Vyacheslav Argenberg via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - The Indian Army said 10 militants were killed in ongoing operations in the state of Manipur bordering Myanmar.

The incident came months after Reuters reported in November that Indian militant groups seeking refuge in Myanmar and fighting in civil war there had begun to flow back across the border into Manipur.

"Ten militants have been neutralized and large numbers of weapons and ammunition have been found," the military said in a post on X on Wednesday, referring to a shootout in the region.

Stability is threatened along a joint border of 1,650 km (1,025 miles) due to civil war in Myanmar after a military coup toppled the elected civilian government in February 2021.

On the Indian side, ethnic clashes in Manipur since May 2023 have led to the deaths of nearly 260 people, with more than 60,000 people displaced.

The state of 3.2 million people has been divided into two pockets of ethnicity, valleys controlled by the Meitei tribe and hills dominated by the Kuki tribe.