By IANS
Guwahati : The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) may witness a split with internecine clashes on the upswing coupled with growing disenchantment among cadres who are either sick or dying in the jungles due to lack of medication, a top army commander Wednesday said.
“A split may ultimately take place in the ULFA with their leaders in Bangladesh and the cadres getting disillusioned and facing hardships following constant pressure from the security forces,” Lt Gen B.S. Jaswal, general-officer-commanding (GOC) of the army’s Four Corps, told reporters here.
Jaswal is also the chairperson of the operational group of the Unified Command structure in Assam where a massive anti-insurgency operation is on against the ULFA.
“We have come to know from ULFA intercepts that there were instances of cadres being killed in clashes within the group, many of them suffering from malaria and typhoid and some even dying without medication in remote camps,” the corps commander said.
In the ongoing military crackdown since January, some 109 rebels were killed, 1,295 apprehended, and 81 surrendered.
“There is a massive public outcry against the ULFA with locals lynching six militants in recent weeks… this is a strong indicator that people are no longer scared of the ULFA and there is a palpable revulsion against terrorism,” Jaswal said.
He said the ULFA’s strength had reduced to just about 600 to 700 although bases in Myanmar were giving the outfit an edge.
“The presence of ULFA camps in Myanmar does concern us as they are way beyond reachable distance. Having camps in Myanmar means they are getting a space for training and trading in weapons.”
Jaswal said continuing anti-insurgency operations have “marginalized the ULFA”, leading them to act in desperation.
“ULFA leaders are being systematically neutralised with the outfit now in a desperate state and hence striking at soft targets,” the commander said.
“The synergy between the various security forces is pushing the ULFA into a pressure situation forcing many of them to give up.”
The ULFA, fighting for an independent homeland since 1979, is blamed for a wave of killings since January in which more than 100 people were killed, most of them Hindi-speaking migrant workers.
“The ULFA is best advised to announce a ceasefire by shifting to designated camps instead of wasting time. There is a life span for every terrorist and their days are numbered,” the officer stated.