2015 Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of Insurgency in Northeast India and Myanmar conflict | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
India | NSCN-K Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag (Chief of Army Staff) Lt. Gen. Bipin Rawat (General Officer Commanding (GoC) of 3 Corps) [1] | S.S. Khaplang (NSCN-K/GPNR) Chaplee Kilonser Starson (NSCN-K/ GPRN) N. Oken (KYKL) | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
No specific units | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
70 Para SF operators ALH helicopters [2] | 300+ | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
None |
|
On 9 June 2015, India conducted a cross-border strike code name Operation Hot Pursuit against insurgents belonging to NSCN-K. [7] According to India, the operation took place in Myanmar and it was in response to ambush of Indian Army convoy of 6 Dogra Regiment in Chandel district of Manipur. [8] Indian officials said that they had crossed the border and inflicted significant casualties against the NSCN-K. [1] According to Indian media reports, around 38 insurgents belonging to NSCN-K were killed during the operation. [5] [2] The operation lasted around 40 minutes. [4]
Based on precise intelligence inputs, the Indian Air Force and 21 PARA (SF) carried a cross-border operation along the India–Myanmar border and destroyed two Militant camps one each of NSCN (K) and KYKL, along the India–Myanmar border. The operations were carried out inside the Myanmar territory along the Nagaland and Manipur border at two locations. One of the locations is near Ukhrul in Manipur. The army attacked two transit camps of the Naga militants.
Seventy-two special forces commandos were reportedly involved in the operation. They were equipped with advanced assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenades and night vision goggles. The commandos wore the uniforms of the 12 Bihar Battalion of Indian army, which was then deployed on the India–Myanmar border. [9] Troops were divided into two groups after they fast roped from Dhruv helicopters just inside the Indian territory near the border with Myanmar. The teams trekked through the thick jungles for at least 50 kilometers before they reached the training camps. Each of the two teams were further divided into two sub-groups. While one was responsible for the direct assault, the second formed an outer ring to prevent any of insurgents from running and escaping. The actual operation (hitting the camp and destroying it) took about 40 minutes. Mi-17 helicopters of the IAF were put on standby, ready to be pressed into service to evacuate the commandos in case anything went wrong. In its statement after the operation, the Indian Army said it was in communication with Myanmar and that, "There is a history of close cooperation between our two militaries. We look forward to working with them to combat such terrorism, This entire operation was made successful by the code name Agent Lima with the input of his intelligent.". [2]
According to Indian officials, heavy casualties were inflicted on the attackers behind the ambush on Army on 4 June, which had claimed the lives of 18 Army jawans of 6 Dogra Regiment in Chandel district of Manipur. [8] This has been marked as the biggest attack on Indian Army after Kargil war of 1999.
Indian media initially claimed that around 15 to 20 insurgents belonging to NSCN-K were killed during the operation. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] However, Times of India, while citing unnamed source from Ministry of Home Affairs (India) claimed that more than 100 insurgents were killed during the whole operation. [15]
Later on, Indian media reports claimed that around 38 insurgents were killed during the operation. [3] [4] [5] [16]
Indian Army General Dalbir Singh Suhag claimed that the Indian troops had operated along the border with Myanmar. However, General Dalbir Singh's claims were contradicted by Indian information minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Col Rathore claimed that Indian troops had crossed the border to hit insurgents in Myanmar. [13] [17] Similarly Indian Army Chief, Lieutenant General Bipin Rawat, also confirmed that Indian troops had crossed Myanmar's border to attack NSCN-K insurgents. [9]
Myanmar's government insisted that the operation did not take place on its territory and that Myanmar does not allow rebel groups to use its territory to stage attacks against foreign countries. [18] Zaw Htay, director of Myanmar's presidential office, in a Facebook post claimed that Tatmadaw battalion belonging to Myanmar Army was sent to the location to ascertain the facts. The findings of the battalion confirmed that the operation took place on the Indian side of the territory. [19]
National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang faction (NSCN-K) also challenged Indian claims. NSCN-K claimed that their camp was not targeted and they did not suffer any casualties. The group challenged Indian Army to display the bodies killed in the attack. [6]
The 2019 Indian film Uri: The Surgical Strike briefly depicts the operation.
Special Operations: India "Myanmar" (2018) is a TV documentary about the operation which premiered on History TV18 Channel. It was directed and produced by Prabhu Asgaonkar and Manika Berry Asgaonkar. [20] [21]
India has several Special Forces (SF) units, with the various branches of the Indian Armed Forces having their own separate special forces units. The Para SF of the Indian Army, MARCOS of the Indian Navy and the Garud Commando Force of the Indian Air Force. There are other special forces which are not controlled by the military, but operate under civilian organisations, such as the National Security Guard under the Home Ministry and the Special Group under the Research and Analysis Wing, the external intelligence agency of India. Small groups from the military SF units are deputed in the Armed Forces Special Operations Division, a unified command and control structure.
The Insurgency in Northeast India involves multiple separatist and jihadist militant groups operating in some of India's northeastern states, which are connected to the rest of India by the Siliguri Corridor, a strip of land as narrow as 14.29 miles (23.00 km) wide.
Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), informally referred to as Para-Commandos, is a group of special forces battalions of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian Army. These units specialise in various roles including counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism, direct action, hostage rescue, special reconnaissance and unconventional warfare.
Moreh is a border town located on the India–Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district of the Indian state of Manipur. As a rapidly developing international trade point with the integrated customs and international immigration checkpoint, Moreh plays an important role in India's Look East Policy, trade and commerce under ASEAN–India Free Trade Area, India-Myanmar relationship, India–Myanmar–Thailand road connectivity, and Trans-Asian Railway connectivity.
The Directorate of Military Intelligence (M.I.) is the Intelligence arm of the Indian Army. The primary mission of military intelligence is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence support to tactical, operational and strategic-level needs of the army.
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Naga militant and separatist group operating mainly in northeastern part of India, with minor activities in northwest Myanmar (Burma). The main aim of the organisation is allegedly to establish a sovereign Naga state, "Nagalim", which would consist of all the areas inhabited by Naga tribes in Northeast India and northwest Myanmar. India claims that China and Pakistan provide financial support and weaponry to the NSCN. Drug trafficking and extortion are believed to be other major sources of income for the NSCN.
In the 2008 Imphal bombings, at least 17 people were killed and more than 30 were injured on 21 October 2008.
The Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA) is an armed Zomi nationalist militant group formed in 1997, following an increase in ethnic tensions between the Kuki people and the Paites tribe in Churachandpur district of Manipur, India. Its parent organisation, the Zomi Re-unification Organisation, was founded in April 1993.
The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council is a militant organization operating in Meghalaya, India. It claims to represent the Khasi-Jaintia tribal people, and its aim is to free Meghalaya from the alleged domination of outsiders from the Indian mainland. It was proscribed in India on 16 November 2000, but the ban was later lifted, before banning it again in 2019.
Secession in India typically refers to state secession, which is the withdrawal of one or more states from the Republic of India. Whereas, some have wanted a separate state, union territory or an autonomous administrative division within India. Many separatist movements exist with thousands of members, however, some have low local support and high voter participation in democratic elections. However, at the same time, demanding separate statehood within under the administration of Indian union from an existing state can lead to criminal charges under secession law in India. India is described as an ‘Union of States’ in Article 1 of the Indian constitution I.e "Indestructible nation of destructible states" by its father of constitution Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar where a state or Union territory of India cannot secede from India by any means and the Central Government has more powers than the respective state governments and can forcefully change the names and boundaries of the states without their permission at any time when needed for self interest and for the maintenance of integrity.
The Insurgency in Manipur is an ongoing armed conflict between India and a number of separatist rebel groups, taking place in the state of Manipur. The Insurgency in Manipur is part of the wider Insurgency in Northeast India; it displays elements of a national liberation war as well as an ethnic conflict.
Operation Golden Bird was an Indian-Myanmar military operation conducted by the Indian Army in April–May 1995.
On 4 June 2015, United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) separatists ambushed a military convoy in Chandel district of Manipur, India, resulting in the death of eighteen Indian Army soldiers. Fifteen soldiers also suffered serious injury. The United Liberation Front, a separatist group operating in North-East India, publicly claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
Shangwang Shangyung Khaplang was a Burmese leader of Naga ethnicity. He was the leader of the NSCN-K, an insurgent group that operates to establish a Greater Nagaland, a sovereign state bringing all Naga-inhabited areas of Myanmar and India under one administrative setup.
Indian Army operations in Jammu and Kashmir include security operations such as Operation Rakshak, which began in 1990, Operation Sarp Vinash in 2003 and Operation Randori Behak in 2020. Other operations include humanitarian missions such as Operation Megh Rahat and operations with a social aim such as Operation Goodwill and Operation Calm Down. The Indian Army works in tandem with the other arms of the Indian Armed Forces and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir such as during Mission Sahayata or joint operations.
On 29 September 2016, teams of Indian Army commandos crossed the Line of Control into Pakistani-administered Kashmir to attack targets up to a kilometer within territory held by Pakistan. The raid occurred ten days after four militants had attacked an Indian army outpost at Uri on 18 September 2016 in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, and killed 19 soldiers. Estimates of casualties from India's cross-border attack varied widely, with figures of 12 to 70 being reported. The Pakistani government eventually acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to nine, while one Indian soldier was captured.
This is a timeline of the Insurgency in Northeast India, an ongoing armed conflict between the separatist rebels and the Indian government.
The Insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh is a part of the larger Northeast India insurgency involving multiple groups trying to separate from or destabilize the province. Because Arunachal Pradesh is a border state, militants sometimes conduct cross border operations to facilitate their activities. In addition to the non-state groups operating in the region, since its recapture in the 1962 War, there has been incursions from the Chinese Army in the region further escalating the conflict. The conflict has cooled since police arrest of major insurgent leaders. The insurgency has seen many minor actors in conflict with each other due to ethnic and religious differences.
Throughout the long-running separatist insurgencies in Northeast India, dozens of India-based insurgent groups have been involved in the neighboring conflict in Myanmar, both sheltering in Myanmar from the counterinsurgent Assam Rifles and participating in the conflict itself. Outside of several Indian-led operations, including Operation Golden Bird in 1995, Operation Hot Pursuit in 2015, or Operation Sunrise I and II in 2019, areas in which these insurgent groups are active have scarcely experienced fighting. Amid the escalation of civil war in Myanmar from 2021, several sources claim that the majority of Indian ethnic armed organisations (IEAOs) are allied, or have some level of understanding, with the ruling military junta of Myanmar, who allows them to maintain bases inside mountainous areas of northern Myanmar, typically in return for the IEAOs attacking anti-junta resistance groups.
As per details available, a crack team of about 70 commandos of the Indian Army entered Myanmar to strike at the militant group's camps. They returned within 40 minutes, leaving at least 38 Naga insurgents dead and several injured.
While the Indian army said its soldiers had operated along the border with Myanmar, Mr Rathore said the troops had "crossed over to Myanmar territory" during Tuesday morning's operation..... The Press Trust of India news agency quoted unnamed sources as saying that Indian troops had killed some 15 rebels in the "cross-border" attack.