Khaplang back in action, intelligence fears strikes in Northeast

NEW DELHI: At a time when government has signed an agreement with NSCN (IM) for lasting peace in Nagaland, there is trouble brewing from another faction of the insurgent group-NSCN (K). Intelligence inputs suggest that S S Khaplang, chairman of the NSCN (K) faction--has recuperated from his illness and is back in action at Taga in Myanmar's Sagaing district near the Indo-Myanmar border.

Khaplang was until recently undergoing treatment at a Yangon general hospital. Khaplang was suffering from a medical condition complicated by diabetes and Myanmar government had facilitated his travel from Taga base in Manipur Naga Hills (MNH) to Yangon.

Sources said that it is suspected the outfit is planning a retaliatory strike in the Northeast after Indian Army killed several of its operatives in a surgical strike at its base inside Myanmar on June 9. The cross border attack was in reply to the June 4 ambush in Manipur in which NSCN (K) cadres killed 18 Indian Army soldiers.

Inputs have already suggested that at least 20 militants belonging to the outfit have entered India for a retaliatory strike since the attack.

It was earlier speculated that absence of Khaplang from Taga would weaken the group following Indian Army's operation. His return thus is expected to re-energise cadres.

"Thankfully, they have not been able to mount an attack as yet. Security forces in Manipur and Nagaland have been on high alert since the June operation. Khaplang faction will also try to sabotage any attempts at peace to send a message," said a security establishment officer.

NSCN (K), which unilaterally abrogated ceasefire with India on March 27, had signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government in February. Sources say Khaplang, a Myanmarese Naga, has not been in favour of peace with India for a long time but continued with a ceasefire under pressure from Indian Naga leaders in the faction.

Sources indicate that Khaplang had been preparing to abrogate the ceasefire with India since 2011. By the end of 2014, he became determined to do so under the influence of his military commander Nikki Sumi and some Myanmarese Naga leaders in the group. Sources said China too had been goading Khaplang to do so.

Khaplang, along with T Muivah and Isak Chisi Swu, formed the NSCN in 1980 but broke ranks with the latter in 1988 to create his own faction, NSCN(K). NSCN(K) is the dominant force in MNH area with its headquarters at Taga. It has three brigades and two ceasefire monitoring offices in Hkamti and Lahe and has a strength of 800-900 cadres spread over in its camps in MNHs.

Apart from NSCN(K), the prominent Indian insurgent groups (IIGs) in Myanmar are Ulfa (Paresh Baruah faction), NDFB(Songbjit), UNLF, PLA, KYKL and KLO. Their camps are located from Upper MNHs in Sagaing region on Arunachal-Myanmar border till Rakhine state.

The United National Liberation Front of West South East Asia (UNLFWSEA), a platform of NSCN(K) and other IIGs that engineered the June 4 attack on Indian Army, was formed by Khaplang in April this year with active help from Ulfa chief Paresh Barua. Incidentally, NSCN(K) had charged Ulfa Rs 50,000 each for the three camps it established in Taga.