Imphal: At least 20 Indian Army jawans were killed and several others were injured when suspected militants ambushed their convoy in Manipur's Chandel district, an official said.
A team of 6 Dogra Regiment was on a routine road opening patrol.
An army spokesman said that the militants first fired rocket-propelled grenades at the four-vehicle convoy which was on its way to Imphal from Chandel.
The ambush took place when the convoy reached between Paralong and Charong villages around 8.30 a.m.
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Most of the bodies were charred. This is being seen as the worst attack on the Indian Army in at least a decade.A The injured jawans were airlifted by the Army for treatment, police said. A reinforcement party of the security forces was rushed to the spot for combing operation to nab the militants, it added.
Manipur Home Secretary J Suresh Babu suspected the involvement of Manipur rebel outfit Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) in the deadly attack.
“This seems to be the work of PLA, with suspected support by the ‘KYKL' group also. We are still waiting for more inputs to come in,” he added. Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) is a Meitei revolutionary organization in Manipur.
A reinforcement party of the security forces was rushed to the spot for combing operation to nab the militants, police said.
