By IANS
Guwahati : Four alleged militants of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) were killed Monday in separate clashes with the army and police in Assam, officials said.
An army spokesperson said soldiers of the 11 Guards Regiment launched a massive anti-insurgency operation at the Dibru Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district.
“There was specific information about a group of ULFA militants inside the sanctuary and our soldiers tracked them down early Monday. We managed to kill three of them, while three others escaped,” an army official said.
The identity of the militants was not immediately known.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of ULFA’s 28th battalion Jiten Dutta told journalists over telephone that the three killed were not among their cadre.
“In fact, it was a case of mistaken identity and the three killed are civilians,” the ULFA leader said.
In another incident in Guwahati, police shot dead an ULFA militant near the city’s Bhetapara area.
The slain rebel has been identified as Chandan Baishya.
“A pistol and some incriminating documents were recovered from the dead militant,” a police official said.