Assam Rifles kills atleast 10 PDF cadres along Indo-Mynamar Border

Atleast ten suspected ‘armed cadres’ of Myanmar's democratic forces were killed in an operation by the Sehlon Unit of Assam Rifles in a remote area along the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur.

The incident took place near New Samtal village in Manipur’s Chandel district, close to the international border.

In a statement on X, Indian Army's Eastern Command said, “Acting on specific intelligence inputs about the movement of armed cadres near New Samtal village, Khengjoy tehsil, Chandel district, close to the Indo-Myanmar border, an Assam Rifles unit under Spear Corps launched an operation on Wednesday."

"During the operation, the troops were fired upon by suspected cadres. They responded swiftly, redeployed tactically, and retaliated in a calibrated and measured manner. In the ensuing firefight, 10 cadres were neutralised and a sizeable quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered," official said.

However, sources said that the slain cadres possibly belonged to a Buddhist group under the People's Democratic Forces (PDF) of Myanmar with temporary shelters inside Indian Territory. The slain cadres reportedly belonged to PKP (Pa Kha Pha) who were part of the Public Defense Forces under the National Unity Government (NUG) — a shadow administration formed by ousted Myanmar parliamentarians and pro-democracy activists.

The Pa Ka Pha is one of several resistance groups battling the Myanmar military, operating alongside Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) units. It plays a vital role in securing territorial domination and is typically tasked with internal security in areas under PDF influence.

So far, no Northeast insurgent group — either the Kuki-Zo or Valley-Based Insurgents (Meitei) — has claimed any attack or reported suffering of casualties in Wednesday’s encounter.