The Indian army has been accused of carrying out a cross-border drone strike in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region on Sunday, killing top commanders of a separatist armed group operating near the border.
Drone strikes on United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) bases in Nanyun and Lahe townships reportedly killed five members, including three senior commanders, and wounded 19 others.
ULFA-I has waged a decades-long armed struggle for an independent state of Assam in northeast India.
According to the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang/Ang Mai (NSCN-K/AM) – an allied insurgent group seeking a sovereign Naga state in northeast India and northwest Myanmar – the attacks killed a lieutenant-general, a brigadier-general, a colonel and two others.
The drone strikes hit deep inside the Naga Self-Administered Zone in Nanyun, Lahe and Leshi – a Myanmar border zone that serves as a stronghold for Indian insurgent groups.
Two NSCN-K factions are active in the zone: NSCN-K/AM led by Ang Mai, and NSCN-K/YA led by Yung Aung.
ULFA was founded in April, 1979 with a goal of establishing an independent homeland for indigenous Assamese. The Indian government designated the group as a terrorist organization in 1990. ULFA-I formed as a militant splinter group after the main faction signed a truce with the Indian government in 2023.
In a statement of solidarity issued after the attack, the NSCN-K/AM hailed ULFA-I as good neighbors in “WESEA”, or Western Southeast Asia. The area encompasses the Indian states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya, and parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar. These regions are home to a multitude of indigenous communities, each with its distinct language, culture, and traditions.
The NSCN-K/AM said its bases are located near the ULFA-I strongholds attacked by the Indian military.
Local reports suggest all the casualties from the drone attacks occurred at ULFA-I bases in Lahe. “The group is revolting against the Indian government and has bases in Myanmar as they are close to Nagaland,” one resident said.
The Irrawaddy was unable to reach the NSCN-K/AM for a comment.
ULFA-I said the Indian military carried out attack with around 150 Israeli-made and French-made drones between 2 am and 4 am on Sunday morning. The Indian has denied any involvement in cross-border military operations.
NSCN-K/AM and ULFA-I are members of the United National Liberation on Front of West South East Asia (UNLFSWEA), an ethnic armed alliance fighting for independence of seven northeastern Indian states – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
Sunday’s cross-border strike comes just weeks after paramilitaries from the Indian Army’s Assam Rifles reportedly crossed into Sagaing Region and killed 10 members of the Tamu People’s Defense Team on May 14.
