The entire north region bore the brunt of Manipur ambush with six armymen from Jammu and Kashmir, seven from Himachal Pradesh and one from Pathankot getting killed. The current ambush would force Union Govt to rethink on withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from the eastern region. The only other time so many brave soldiers came home in coffins was during the Kargil War in 1999. The emerging new face of terror in northeast has a conglomeration of 11 outfits which are stationed in the western part of Myanmar that borders with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur and have got support from across for the recent killings. The northeast has a long history of turmoil. Nagas were the first to raise the banner of insurgency in 1956 leaving the hills to fight for an independent Naga home land from London. Manipuris never accepted merger agreement with India signed on 15th October, 1949. As far as other groups are concerned they too also have a long history of resentment with New Delhi. This is the first major militant attack on armed forces since the BJP Govt took over the charge in centre with a promise of tough stand on security. The Govt will have to keep its election promises if it wants peace to remain in the northeast or else it too will have to answer for the stand to let go NSCN (K) walkout of the 14 year-old ceasefire in March last. Since the collapse of ceasefire incidences of violence have gone up. There have been intelligence input ahead of the current encounter. Govts both in Centre and state will have to work for a strategy politically to contain the growing and emerging face of terror. The new outfit United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia which has claimed responsibility for the killing of armed forces men on Thursday, was formed in 2011 in China’s Yuvan Province. So it is clear that China and Myanmar are hell bent to create trouble in eastern part of the country by extending support to the outfit. Of the seven eastern states Mizoram is the only peaceful one. This came out after signing the Mizoram accord between the Laldenga-led Mizo National Front and India on 30th June, 1986.
