Two Killed, Two Shot as Suspected NSCN-IM, ZUF-K Cadres Attack N Teikhang Village in conflict-torn Kangpokpi's IT Road Region

Two villagers were killed and two others suffered bullet injuries after suspected NSCN-IM and ZUF-K cadres allegedly unleashed a deadly assault on N Teikhang Kuki village in Kangpokpi district on Monday morning, in the latest and chilling escalation of violence that has turned the Twilang belt along the IT Road into a virtual war zone.

The attack, reported at around 9.30 am under T Waichong sub-division, saw armed assailants allegedly open indiscriminate fire on civilians and torch several houses, according to local sources.

The dead were identified as Lamtinthang, who was reportedly shot dead during the assault, and Neichin, wife of Tongpao. Seilun sustained a bullet wound to his thigh, while another woman, Nemneichong, was also injured in the firing, the sources said.

In one of the most disturbing accounts of the attack, Seilun was reportedly shot in the thigh while his son Lamtinthang was killed, underscoring the extent to which civilians have become targets amid the spiralling violence in the region.

Several houses were also reportedly set ablaze, sending residents fleeing amid gunfire and flames.

The latest bloodshed has cast the entire Twilang-IT Road corridor under a pall of fear, with residents increasingly describing the area as a war zone where armed attacks, arson and violent confrontations have become a terrifying reality of everyday life.

For communities living along the remote IT Road, the danger extends beyond the immediate threat of gunfire. Repeated violence has disrupted movement, endangered access to essential commodities and healthcare and left vulnerable villages increasingly isolated.

The N Teikhang attack comes amid a sharp escalation of violence in the wider Twilang belt, where a series of incidents in recent weeks have fuelled allegations of armed mobilisation and attacks on civilian settlements. The continuing violence has raised serious concerns over the security of villages located along the strategic road corridor.

The repeated targeting of civilian areas has also intensified fears that the IT Road, once a crucial lifeline connecting remote settlements, is increasingly becoming a frontline of armed confrontation, with ordinary villagers bearing the brunt of the conflict.

With two more lives lost and homes reportedly reduced to ashes, the N Teikhang attack has once again exposed the growing vulnerability of civilians in the IT Road belt — where the line between a conflict-affected village and an active battlefield appears increasingly blurred.