Major Security Concerns in Manipur; US & China Hand Not Ruled Out: Intel Sources | Exclusive

The situation in Manipur has raised major security concerns with the possible involvement of the United States and China and “control on the region’s drug trade” and “carving out a Christian state” among possible motives, top intelligence sources told CNN-News18 on Wednesday.

Many Kuki terrorists perpetrating the violence are possibly from Myanmar and Bangladesh, where they are also trained, they added.

According to agencies, this is a complex problem and both the US and China are possibly taking advantage of India largely ignoring the Northeast for a long time.

Sources said China and America both want dominance in Asia and this belt is very important to achieve that goal.

They added that Kukis are being empowered by outside forces, under the garb of religion first, and they will be used to create a separate state with areas of Manipur, Mizoram, Chin from Myanmar, and Bangladesh’s Chittagong.

“China is already using different borders to create tensions in India and destabilise the country,” said a source. “On the other hand, the American operation in Bangladesh is recent and a similar operation in India can’t be ruled out. This will stop the big India story and the government will be more busy handling internal conflicts. Secondly, in this dominance war, this internal rift will stop India from moving towards China.”

According to sources, some sections of the security forces feel the 15-month-long tumult in Manipur is being ignored.

The central government should have looked at the sophisticated weapons the militants are using and the advanced military tactics they are deploying, the sources added. Premeditated war crimes are also happening, they said.

In a recent operation, police have recovered a Soviet rifle, a locally made rifle, a bolt-action rifle, a .22 pistol, an improvised mortar, six Pompis (locally made guns), and additional warlike stores of serious nature, said sources.

Total recoveries so far include a 51mm mortar, an MA-3 Mk-II rifle, an AK-47, two Lathode guns, a .303 rifle, six 9mm pistols, seven single-barrel 12-bore guns, two .22 rifles, twelve single-barrel 12-bore guns, eleven Pompi guns, 49 improvised explosive devices (IEDs), grenades, tear gas shells, ammunition, and additional warlike stores, they added.