18 Indian soldiers killed in Manipur convoy attack

The Indian Army is expected to launch a massive counter-insurgency operation in Manipur where 18 soldiers were killed in an ambush by militants a day earlier.
According to a NDTV report, 50 militants carried out the attack and used US-made rocket launchers on the Army commandos travelling in two trucks on Thursday.
The Army has been conducting search operations to trace and eliminate the militants involved in the attack in Chandel, which is two hours on foot from the Myanmar border. The border has been closed, but the security agencies fear the attackers may have crossed over.
The Indian Army’s 6 Dogra infantry regiment was being de-inducted from the Moltuk Valley, when a convoy of 46 men was attacked by militants who used Rocket Propelled Grenade or RPG launchers and an improvised explosive device or IED.
Most of the soldiers killed were in the lead vehicle of the convoy, which bore the brunt of the attack. A junior commissioned officer was among those killed. Eleven were injured.
Sources said the attack was extremely well planned and is believed to be the handiwork of a group of organisations. Myanmar-based rebels are suspected to be launching pad for this attack, said the sources.
A coalition of insurgent groups led by the NSCN-K (Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland) under the name  United Nationalist Liberation Front of West South-East Asia has claimed responsibility for the attack.