Guwahati, February 21: Two hardcore cadres of the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) were killed in a gun fight with security forces in Assam’s Goalpara district on Thursday morning, officials said.
Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of police and army launched a search operation at Bokapara area near Lakhipur in the district along the Assam-Meghalaya border, where a militant group was hiding.
“Based on our intelligence input, we launched the operation at the bordering area. When troops reached the area, the militant group that was hiding started firing and bullets were exchanged,” a top police official said.
Two militants were killed on the spot and two others had managed to flee taking advantage of the darkness.
Security forces recovered one 7.65 pistol, seven rounds of live ammunition, two magazines and two motor bikes from the slain militants.
Top police and army officials rushed to the area and launched an operation against the militants.
The slain militants have yet to be identified.
GNLA and anti-talk faction group of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) jointly set up few transit camps in the bordering area and were trying to make a disturbance during the assembly poll in Meghalaya, to be held on February 23.
Meghalaya police and Assam police have arranged tight security along the border area.
