The Director of the Myanmar President’s Office via a Facebook post said that the Indian Armed Forces had carried out the attack on insurgents inside Indian territory and said that Myanmar would not tolerate rebel groups using its soil to attack neighbours, reports The Indian Express.
According to the information sent by Tatmadaw (Myanmar army) battalions on the ground, we have learned that the military operation was performed on the Indian side at India-Myanmar border. Myanmar will not accept any foreigner who attacks neighbouring countries in the back and creates problems by using our own territory.
– Zaw Htay, Director, Myanmar Presidential Office via Facebook
Yesterday statements were made by the Indian Government that a surgical strike had been carried out by the Indian Army’s Special Forces inside Myanmar and two camps of insurgents hiding there had been destroyed. Statements also said that the Indian Army had hunted down a militant group operating in Manipur, close to Myanmar’s long western border. The militants were allegedly involved in an ambush attack in which 18 Indian Army soldiers were killed in Manipur a week ago, Director Htay’s post was in response to these statements.
The Indian media cited sources saying that, after coordination with Myanmar, Indian soldiers had crossed the Indo-Myanmar border and killed around 15 militants who had escaped across the border.
Maybe Yangon has decided to not make details of its involvement public, considering the Tatmadaw’s ceasefire agreement with the NSCN(K), or maybe there’s a larger game afoot. We’ll just have to wait and watch.
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