India rebel group says army killed leaders In Myanmar strikes

(AFP): Separatist militants in northeastern India said the Indian army carried out cross-border drone strikes on the group’s camps in neighbouring Myanmar on Sunday, killing three of its leaders.

Some rebel groups in northeastern India have ethnic, linguistic and cultural ties with minorities across the border in Myanmar and maintain a presence there.

A top commander of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) was killed and 19 others wounded in a drone attack in Myanmar near the border, the separatist group said in a series of statements.

“Two more senior commanders were killed” in subsequent strikes, the ULFA said, adding: “Several other members and civilians were also wounded.”

Indian authorities have yet to confirm the strikes.

Camps belonging to another rebel group, the People’s Liberation Army, were also targeted, the ULFA added.

The ULFA is one of several insurgent groups in India, and wants independence for the northeastern state of Assam, while the PLA advocates for the secession of Manipur state.

One faction of the ULFA laid down arms and signed a peace deal with the Indian government in 2023.

Rebel attacks have drastically reduced in recent years but the insurgent violence has killed thousands of people, mostly civilians, over the last three decades.