Operation Samtal
Villagers flee crossfire: Imphal, Dec. 25: Neneng Haokip, 19, had returned home to Dingpi village in Manipur’s Thoubal district to celebrate Christmas with her family members. However, the 19-year-old student was shocked when she found that her family members had fled their village to escape the crossfire between militants and security forces. “My family did not inform me that they were leaving the village. When I went there I was told by those who had stayed behind that my family had fled to Moreh. I then went to the border town and finally met my parents at Sugnu in Thoubal district,” she said. Not just Haokip’s family, nearly 500 villagers have reportedly fled the area after security forces launched a massive operation on November 18 to flush out militants of the United National Liberation Front (UNLF). All the villagers in this tribal belt belong to the Kuki community and are Christians. The security forces are inching forward towards the Indo-Myanmar border via New Somtal Road. Th...