LOC19:34
16:34 GMT
NEW DELHI, Dec 29 (KUNA) -- A top insurgent of outlawed United Liberation
Front of Asom (ULFA) was killed and another injured in an encounter with the
Army in Tinsukia district in Indias Northeastern state of Assam Saturday.
The encounter took place at Kulabari, in upper Assam's Tinsukia district
this afternoon, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
The slain insurgent was identified as 'Corporal' -- Dhaman Chetia and the
injured as Amjad Chetia -- both belonging to ULFA's "28 battalion", the news
agency said, quoting an official of the Assam police.
The outlawed ULFA wants to create a "sovereign Assam" carved out of India
and is waging an insurgency since 1979. It has little public support in Assam
and most of its top leadership are reported to operating from neighbouring
Bangladesh.
New Delhi has often raised with Dhaka the issue of the presence of Indian
Insurgent Groups from Northeast including ULFA on Bangladeshi soil and urged
the authorities to act against the ULFA leadership based there.
Leading US think tank Stratfor, few months back, in a report -- India:
ULFA Abandons Peace Talks -- had said that ULFA was keen to work with groups
like Bangladesh-based Harkt-ul-Jihadi-Islami in India's Northeast and has
begun to outsource terror operations. (end)
dr.bs
KUNA 291934 Dec 07NNNN