Militants from Myanmar border torch houses in Manipur’s Kamjong:Villagers flee to forests at 4 am; 2 including woman missing

Armed militants allegedly crossed over from the India–Myanmar border and attacked several villages in Manipur’s Kamjong district early Thursday, setting multiple houses on fire and forcing residents to flee into nearby forests. According to police, the incident took place around 4 am in the Tangkhul Naga villages of Namli, Wangli, and Choro under the Kasom Khullen police station area, located less than a kilometre from the international border. Villagers said the attackers torched two houses in Namli, three to four in Wangli, and several homes in Choro. In Choro village, most houses were damaged in the attack, except a church structure. An elderly woman was injured while escaping the violence. Security forces, including personnel from the Assam Rifles, later reached the affected areas and conducted an assessment of the situation. MLA alleges cross-border militant involvement Phungyar MLA L. Keishing alleged that the attack was carried out by militants belonging to the Kuki National Army (Burma) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF), who allegedly entered from the Myanmar side. He claimed that while the state had earlier witnessed internal conflicts, this incident marked an “external attack” on border villages. He further said the attack took place around 3:30 am and resulted in extensive damage to property, though no deaths have been reported so far. Keishing also alleged that two villagers, including a woman, are missing and claimed they were taken away by armed militants, according to eyewitness accounts. He urged both the state and central governments to take immediate action, alleging inadequate security presence in the area and questioning the effectiveness of Assam Rifles deployment. Students’ body demands stronger security deployment The Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long (TAKL), the Southern Tangkhul Students’ Union, strongly condemned the attack, claiming that around 100 armed KNA-B militants crossed the international border and targeted Namli, Wangli, Ashang Khullen, and Choro villages. The organisation demanded the immediate deployment of Manipur Police commandos in the affected areas and raised concerns over how such a large group of armed militants could cross the border undetected. ​