Ulfa-I mail shows images of rifles ‘looted’ from AR jawans

Guwahati: The Paresh Baruah-led United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent), in an email statement on Monday, released images of six rifles that they claim to have taken from Assam Rifles personnel during the May 3 ambush in the Changlangshu area of Nagaland.
Five of the rifles are AK-47s and one is an INSAS rifle.
The email comes at a time when several militant outfits of the northeast have joined hands to form an alliance called United National Liberation Front of West South Asia (UNLFW).The formation of the new front has concerned security forces.
On May 3, the newly-formed group, comprising at least four major rebel outfits of the region including Ulfa-I, attacked an Assam Rifles convoy. Eight security personnel were killed and over 10 injured.
“The UNLFW claimed it had taken away firearms belonging to the security personnel. Both Ulfa-I and NDFB-S are active in Assam and the new group is trying to sneak into the state with their help,” a senior Assam police officer said.
Assam DGP Khagen Sarma earlier sounded an alert. “Such outfits joining hands is always a major concern,” Sarma said. He added, however, that due to the ongoing operation against NDFB-S, the Bodo rebel group has lost its strength.
“Some of their leaders have fled and some are crisscrossing the borders. Already over 300 NDFB-S rebels, including its top leaders, have been nabbed or killed,” he said.
It is believed that UNLFW is trying to spread its influence in West Bengal with the help of Kamtapur Liberation Organization (KLO).
“The objective of the coalition is unified struggle for the liberation of ancestral homes. The outfits, especially NSCN-K, are close to several separatist groups based in China, including Kachin Independence Army,” an intelligence bureau official said.
The UNLFW came into being after S S Khaplang recently decided to abrogate a 14-year-old ceasefire with the Centre.
The NSCN-K inked the ceasefire agreement with the Centre in 2001.
Sources said the outfit believed the ceasefire would not yield any result since the Centre is unwilling to negotiate on its demand for sovereignty. The new alliance has around 200 armed rebels, the sources said.