Six troopers were killed when an Assam Rifles convoy was ambushed on Sunday in Manipur's Chandel district by insurgents of the Corcom, the apex body of six proscribed underground organisations, officials said.The attackers also snatched four AK-47 assault rifles, an INSAS rifle, a light machine gun and ammunition, before fleeing the spot.While intelligence sources said six personnel including a junior commissioned officer were killed, Assam Rifles and police, while confirming the incident, declined to disclose the exact casualty figures.The convoy of 29 Assam Rifles was approaching Holenjang village from the main camp at Joupi in Chandel district bordering Myanmar at 1 p.m. when the insurgents detonated remote-controlled bombs and opened fire from several sides.
The exchange of fire lasted about one hour.
As news of the incident was received, reinforcements were rushed to the spot and operations launched to apprehend the perpetrators, who are believed to have escaped to no man's land between Manipur's border with Myanmar. On June 4 last year, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang and some other underground groups, had ambushed an army convoy in this district, killing 18 personnel of the Dogra Regiment on the spot and injuring 14 others.