Manipur ambush: Terrorists kill two jawan, injure eight in Chandel district

Militants killed two policeman and injured eight during two surprise attacks in two different places in Manipur's Chandel district on Thursday.According to PTI, one of the attacks took place in Lokchao village in Chandel district, 21 kilometres from the border town of Moreh, along the Imphal-Moreh route killing one personnel on the spot and injuring seven others.A News18.com report said that team of Manipur Police were travelling from Moreh (near India-Myanmar border) to Tengnoupal District for a scheduled programme of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, when they came under attack. The jawans were attacked with improvised explosives and bullets by terrorists on reaching Lokchao, the report said, adding that injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.One wounded personnel succumbed to injuries later, a police officer told PTI. Ibobi was scheduled to inaugurate the newly created district of Tengnoupal, carved out from the existing Naga-dominated district of Chandel.The two dead Manipur Police personnel have been identified as Md Ayub Khan and Hc Ngarei Marring, the police officer said.While the no terrorist outfit has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, News18 said that the police suspect the terrorists who attacked near Lokchao village to belong to the Naga outfit, National Security Council of Nagaland Isak-Muivah(NSCN-IM).In the second ambush that took place at Bongyang area in the same district, one personnel of the state forces was also severely injured. Of the eight injured, three personnel who received critical injuries have been rushed to Imphal for further medical treatment, the police officer said.Incidentally, Chandel district, which sits close to the Myanmar border, has been seeing a lot of deadly attacks on security forces in the recent past. According to reports, on 26 November, five security forces personnel were injured in an ambush in Sajik Tampak in Chandel district. In similar incidents, according to Indian Express, "eighteen soldiers were killed in the district on 5 June 2015" whereas, "on May 23 this year, six personnel of the Assam Rifles were killed in an ambush in Chandel".According to News18, the entire area has been put on high alert following the incident.With PTI inputs