The assault, suspected to be by NSCN (K-YA) and ULFA (I), involved gunfire and IEDs around 3 AM at Hatman village, triggering a major security operation.
BY PC Bureau
October 16, 2025: In a major escalation of insurgent violence along the Indo-Myanmar border, suspected militants belonging to the NSCN (Khaplang–Yung Aung) faction, possibly in collaboration with the ULFA (Independent), carried out a pre-dawn attack on an Assam Rifles camp in Hatman village, under the Manmao area of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh, early Thursday morning.
The ambush, which began around 3:00 AM and lasted for nearly half an hour, saw militants open heavy gunfire and hurl improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the camp, triggering a fierce retaliatory exchange.
At least four Assam Rifles personnel sustained bullet injuries, two of whom — Rifleman Harisharan and Rifleman Rahul Bora — were airlifted around 8:24 AM to the 5 Air Force Hospital in Jorhat, Assam, for specialized treatment. The condition of the injured soldiers remains undisclosed, while the identities of the other two wounded jawans are yet to be confirmed.
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Following the assault, security forces cordoned off the area and launched an extensive search and combing operation through the dense forests bordering Myanmar. Reinforcement teams from nearby outposts, along with additional Assam Rifles units, have joined the operation to track down the attackers, who reportedly fled across the porous international border into Myanmar.
The NSCN (K-YA), a splinter faction of the once-dominant National Socialist Council of Nagaland, has been behind several cross-border strikes in recent years. The group, along with ULFA (Independent) — a proscribed separatist outfit from Assam — is known to maintain operational bases in Myanmar, taking advantage of the rugged terrain and weak border controls.
No outfit has claimed responsibility so far, but intelligence officials suspect the joint operation was intended as a show of strength amid renewed counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.
This latest attack follows the August 2025 assault on another Assam Rifles base in Noglo, also in Changlang district, which left multiple personnel injured and highlighted the continuing threat posed by coordinated militant networks.
Security agencies have been placed on high alert, with sources indicating that surveillance along the Indo-Myanmar border has been intensified to prevent further incursions. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been briefed on the situation, and investigations are ongoing to determine the motive and scale of the militant coordination.
The attack underscores the persistent challenge of insurgency in Northeast India, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang, Tirap, and Longding districts, which have long served as a volatile corridor for cross-border insurgent movement and arms smuggling.
Further updates are awaited as security operations continue in the region.
