The first attack of the year in Imphal West took place on Tuesday night when militants reportedly dropped bombs by drone on Kangchup Phayeng village. The bombing occurred just 15 feet from a temporary police barrack and sentry post. Though no casualties were reported, the attack has raised fresh concerns about the growing use of drones in insurgent activities in the region.
BY PC Bureau
Hours before high-level talk in Delhi between Kuki-Xo council and official of the Home ministry, Manipur saw its first militant attack of the year on late Tuesday night involving a drone bombing.
Reports said that suspected militants reportedly carried out drone bombings on Kangchup Phayeng village in Imphal West. This village had also been targeted late last year. Fortunately, the attack resulted in no casualties, even though it occurred just 15 feet away from a temporary police barrack and sentry post.
Since Imphal West district is part of the larger Imphal Valley and one of the core areas where the Meitei population resides, the attacks is being attributed to suspected Kuki militants.
2 drone bombs have allegedly exploded at Kangchup Phayeng in Imphal West in Manipur. No casualties were reported. #manipur #dronebombs #cnbctv18digital pic.twitter.com/qQZ9Ln5jAJ
— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) January 15, 2025
Police believe that the bombs were dropped by drones in quick succession, within a span of three minutes, around 9:30 pm. After the blast, investigators recovered the propellers of the drones at the site. A forensic team conducted an investigation on Wednesday, collecting bomb fragments, including the propellers, as part of their probe.
#BreakingNews
Two bombs were reportedly dropped through a drone from the hill side by chin kuki terror!sts near the camp of 5th Manipur Rifles post at Kangchup Kharang, Manipur. No damage and injury. Police and crpf teams are at the spot now.#dronesightings #DroneBombing https://t.co/Z53hqinrLm pic.twitter.com/VOnwXz2Ajm— JJohnnymeitei (@JohnnyMeetei) January 14, 2025
A Manipur police department official confirmed that police commandos, alongside Lamshang Police, rushed to the location immediately after the attack. There were no reports of gunfire following the bombing, and authorities have heightened security measures in the area to prevent further incidents.
ALSO READ: Manipur: Centre to Engage both Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups http://Manipur: Centre to Engage both Kuki-Zo and Meitei groups
Eyewitness said that that drones had been frequently seen in the area in recent days.
Meanwhile, security forces from both the state and central government conducted an operation in the outskirts of Aigejang and Leimaram Uyok Ching in Bishnupur district on Wednesday.
The operation led to the discovery and seizure of a significant cache of arms, explosives, and ammunition, including a self-loading rifle, a sniper rifle, 36 grenades, and a mortar tube launcher. The operation was based on intelligence reports suggesting the presence of militants and hidden weapon caches in the region.
