Militants in Manipur unleash revenge attack

GUWAHATI: In a gruesome attack, militants have killed five non-Manipuris inside the Keibul Lamjao National Park in the state���s Bishenpur district, about 14 km south of the state capital Imphal.

Police sources said five bodies have been recovered on Monday night and a search operation is on and the casualty is likely to mount up. These killings might be a revenge killing by the militants to avenge the reverses suffered by them during the recent ���Operation Summer Storm��� led by the army and police.

Sources added that at least nine people may have fallen victim. "Only one body out of the five bore bullet marks. The rest might have been hacked to death."

Locals have witnessed about 12 people being blindfolded by the militants. At least four of the victims are from Uttar Pradesh and one from Silchar in Assam.

While Ikbal Khan, Mohammad Umar, Mohammad Haneef and Rashid Ali were from Bulandsahar of Uttar Pradesh, Ibin Ali was from Bashkandi area in Silchar. These identities were revealed by Irshad Khan, who managed to flee from the captivity, sources informed.

Militants in Manipur, in the past one year have targeted non-Manipuris on several occasions.