The invisible Hand
ULFA working at ISI’s behest: Army

The Army has achieved major successes in its offensive against the ULFA post-January 2007, with the killing of 51 militants and apprehension of another 553 including 447 linkmen. In addition, 29 ultras have surrendered during the period. Last year, the casualty figure of the ULFA was just six.

Revealing this at a press conference today, the GOC 4 Corps, Lt Gen RK Chhabra, said that the success against the ULFA was the result of intensified operations against the outfit following its carnage in upper Assam in early January.

“By spilling the blood of innocent civilians, the so-called freedom fighters have completed their transition to a pure terrorist organization,” he said.

Chhabra said that of the 20 hardcore ULFA men responsible for the upper Assam bloodbath, most had either been killed or neutralized. “The ULFA has suffered a serious setback with the neutralization of a large number of important commanders and busting of their camps in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said, adding that the outfit’s morale was rather at its nadir.

The Army has seized 166 weapons and 307 kg explosives this year till date.

The GOC also termed the ongoing strikes and fasts by the wives of the missing ULFA leaders and the PCPIA as a ploy on the outfit’s part to divert public attention from the “main cause and malaise of violence and extortion” and get people’s sympathy. “However, the people have seen through the evil designs of the ULFA, and these gimmicks indulged in by the outfit are not yielding any results,” he asserted, adding that even the outfit’s mouthpiece Freedom had bemoaned the “inadequate media publicity” about the strikes.

Chhabra revealed that offensives against the ULFA were stepped up in Arunachal Pradesh also, which was a conduit for the militants to cross over to Myanmar. “The Myanmar Army has been extending its full cooperation to us in our drive against the ultras. The Arunachal-Myanmar border being mountainous and densely-forested, it is an arduous task to put a total stop to cross-border movement,” he said.

Chhabra said that the ULFA was increasingly working at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI. “The ISI is calling the shots and telling the ULFA what it should be doing,” he said.

On the recent abduction of the FCI (North-east) executive director, reportedly by the ULFA, the GOC said that the Army was giving full cooperation to the police in the investigation. Declining to comment on the Rs 21-crore ransom reportedly demanded by the ULFA, he said that the Army’s role was restricted to helping the police – the lead agency – in the investigation and rescue operations.

On the growing activities of jehadi elements in the State, Chhabra said that they were a potent threat for the future even though at the moment they were like “backroom boys.” “We are intensifying operations in char and chapori (riverine) areas, the possible hideouts of jehadis,” he added.

Chhabra said that the jehadi elements were basically involved in things like gunrunning, fake currency rackets, drugs pedalling and other anti-national activities.

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