2015 Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar

The 2015 Indian counter-insurgency operation in Myanmar refers to a cross-border counter-insurgency raid in Myanmar, carried out by Indian special forces on the night of 8 June 2015. The attack was in retaliation for an ambush by National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang) militants on a military convoy in Chandel district, Manipur on 4 June, that left 18 Indian Army personnel dead and 11 injured. The target of the operation was two militant camps located approximately 5 km within Myanmar territory. Commandos from the 21 Para Special Forces crossed into Myanmar on 8 June, destroyed both camps and killed all militants present.

Background
The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a Christian Naga nationalist militant group operating in Northeast India. The main aim of the organization is to establish a sovereign Christian state, "Nagalim". The NSCN was formed on 31 January 1980 by Isak Chishi Swu, Thuingaleng Muivah and S.S. Khaplang opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with the Government of India. Later, a disagreement surfaced within the outfit leaders over the issue of commencing dialogue with the Indian Government, and on 30 April 1988, the NSCN split into two factions - the NSCN (Khaplang) led by S.S. Khaplang, and the NSCN (Isak-Muivah), led by Isak Chishi Swu and Thuingaleng Muivah. The split triggered violent clashes between the factions.

The Government of India signed a ceasefire agreement with the NSCN (IM) in 1997, and with the NSCN (K) in 2001. In March 2015, the Myanmar-based NSCN (K) terminated the ceasefire agreement, claiming that discussions and negotiations with the Indian Government had failed to reach any conclusion. The Government had, in the previous few years, increased its focus on the NSCN (IM). This was reportedly perceived by the NSCN (K) to be a slight, and it decided to prove that despite its Myanmar base, the group could attack targets inside Indian territory.

On 4 June 2015, insurgents armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and improvised explosive device s (IEDs) ambushed a military convoy in the New Samtal area of Chandel district in Manipur, about 15–20 km from India-Myanmar border, killing 18 Indian Army personnel of the 6 Dogra Regiment and wounding 11 others. The attack was the deadliest insurgent attack against the Indian Army in 20 years. It was also the first time that any Northeastern militant group had utilized RPGs in an attack. The Army initially suspected that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) were behind the attack. However, the United Liberation Front of Western South East Asia (UNLFW) later claimed responsibility, and also stated that this was the first of several planned attacks against Indian security forces. The UNLFW is an umbrella group, formed on 17 April 2015, by four North Eastern insurgent groups - NSCN (K) and Meitei outfits, United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), United National Liberation Front (UNLF), and the PLA. The Indian Express reported that the attack had been carried out by the NSCN (K), with support from the KYKL and the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP). The latter two outfits have no agreements with the Indian Government, and provided the NSCN (K) with knowledge of the region, in exchange for the access to NSCN (K) camps for shelter and planning attacks.

Planning
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag, and the heads of the intelligence agencies convened a meeting a few hours after the Chandel ambush. At this meeting, the decision was made to respond to the ambush with a retaliatory attack. On 5 June 2015, the Indian Army began combing the region to track down insurgents responsible for the attack. Search operations were carried out in Paralong, Charong, Moltuh and other areas. Gen. Suhag reached Chandel on the same day to oversee a detailed operation plan. Suhag had been scheduled to travel to Great Britain, but cancelled the trip to attend to the aftermath of the ambush. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval decided to skip the Prime Minister's state visit to Bangladesh on 6–7 June 2015, in order to organize a retaliatory attack. The Prime Minister had ordered Doval to ensure a "swift response" to the attack.

Doval and Gen. Suhag arrived in Manipur on 5 June, to plan the response. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and satellite imagery were utilized to help plan the attack. The operation was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 7 June, and overseen by Gen. Suhag and NSA Doval. Indian troops underwent three-day training at a make shift camp to prepare for the raid. The Indian Express, citing diplomatic sources in the Ministry of External Affairs, reported that the Myanmar Government agreed to India's plan to launch the raid on 8 June 2015. Colonel Gaurav Sharma, defence attache at the Indian Embassy in Myanmar, reportedly briefed the Myanmar military on operational details. The Hindustan Times reported that the Indian Embassy had informed Myanmar about the operation, but left out operational details. However, The Times of India contradicted this by reporting that Myanmar was only informed of the operation after commandos had almost completely destroyed the targets. After the raid, Myanmar officials stated that Indian Ambassador Gautam Mukhopadhyay had informed the Myanmar Foreign Ministry that India would conduct "some attacks on rebels".

The raid was part of the ongoing Operation Hifazat in the Nagaland-Manipur-Arunachal Pradesh region, although this specific raid was not given a code name.

Operation
The media reported that a total of 70 commandos from the 21 Para Special Forces (SF) were involved in the raid. No official figures have been released. On the night of 8 June 2015, the commandos were dropped at the Nagaland-Manipur junction of the India-Myanmar border by fast roping from Mil Mi-17 helicopters flown by the Indian Air Force (IAF). Their targets were an NSCN (K) camp in Ponyu/Kemphu and an UNLF camp in Aungzea. The two militant camps were located approximately 5 km inside Myanmar. Intelligence inputs had revealed that the two camps housed militants involved in the Chandel ambush. The NSCN (K)'s 3rd brigade is based in Ponyu, and the Aungzeya area is home to several groups of militants.

The commandos, equipped with assault rifles, rocket launchers, grenades and night vision goggles, were divided into two groups. The teams trekked through the thick jungles for at least five kilometers before they reached the camps, crawling through some stretches to avoid being detected. Each of the two teams were further divided into two sub-groups. While one was responsible for the direct assault, the second formed an outer ring to prevent any of insurgents from running and escaping. Upon arriving at the targets, Indian troops proceeded to completely destroy both camps and kill all militants present. The Times of India quoted an Army source as saying, "There was only a bit of resistance. We almost completely surprised them. The militants didn't expect India to cross the border. That barrier has been breached." The actual operation (hitting the camp and destroying it) took about 45 minutes. Mi-17 helicopters of the IAF were put on standby, ready to be pressed into service to evacuate the commandos in case anything went wrong.

The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that at least 50 militants had been killed in the operation. The Indian media reported varying numbers of dead militants, with the highest reporting a death toll of 100. India suffered no casualties in the raid.

Reaction
In its official statement after the operation, the Indian Army said that it had carried out an attack on two insurgent camps in response to the Chandel ambush. However, the statement declared that the camps were located "along the Indo-Myanmar border" and "along the Nagaland and Manipur borders". It also did not cite any death toll, instead saying that "significant casualties had been inflicted". The Army also stated that it was in communication with Myanmar and that, "There is a history of close cooperation between our two militaries. We look forward to working with them to combat such terrorism."

Myanmar President’s Office director Zaw Htay denied that the raid had been conducted on Myanmar's territory, stating in a post on Facebook on 10 June, "According to the information sent by Tatmadaw (Myanmarese Army) battalions on the ground, we have learned that the military operation was performed on the Indian side at India-Myanmar border. Myanmar will not accept any foreigner who attacks neighbouring countries in the back and creates problems by using our own territory.” The Washington Post noted, "Although Myanmar has relatively little control over the porous border region, it would be loath to acknowledge an intrusion by its bigger neighbor, and public claims by some Indian officials to that effect would be an embarrassment that could chill bilateral relations." The Economic Times also noted that the Myanmar Army had "no operational control over the areas that are primarily held by rebel groups". Indian officials did not officially refute Myanmar's claims, describing them as “understandable” and “not unexpected”. An Indian official told the Deccan Herald that Myanmar could not be expected to confirm that foreign troops had entered its soil, or that insurgent groups operated from camps within their country. However, officials re-affirmed that Indian troops had, in fact, crossed the border into Myanmar.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and retired Indian Army Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore told The Indian Express, "India’s intention towards a friendly neighbourhood and commitment towards mutual development was made as evident as its zero-tolerance towards terror. We will not tolerate any strikes on India or Indians. We’ll always wield the initiative on either being friendly or engaging in aggressive action. We will strike at a place and at a time of our choosing. This is a message for all countries, including Pakistan, and groups harbouring terror intent towards India. A terrorist is a terrorist and has no other identity. We will strike when we want to." When asked how deep Indian troops had crossed into Myanmar, Rathore stated that “it was deep enough for the terrorists to feel safe”. On Myanmar's role in the operation, he added, “Myanmar is a friendly nation and they always cooperate."

Analyst Subir Bhaumik, writing for the BBC, stated that India rarely carried out cross-border attacks, and this raid "may be the beginning of a new phase in India's counter-insurgency strategy."

Aftermath


Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Myanmar on 17 June 2015 and held talks Myanmarese President U. Thein Sein and high-ranking defence officials. Mint reported that the meetings were about "continued security cooperation and coordination along the India-Myanmar border and on other bilateral issues." On 28 July 2015, Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met Doval along, Indian Army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh Suhag and chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Lieutenant General Anil Bhalla in India. Hliang met high-ranking Indian defence officials, including the three Indian Armed Forces services chiefs the following day.

On 3 August 2015, at an event held at 7 Race Course Road, the Government of India and the NSCN (IM) announced that they had signed a peace accord, ending the longest running insurgency in Indian history. NSCN (IM) co-founder Thuingaleng Muivah stated, "I thank God for this momentous occasion. Naga people have great respect for Mahatma Gandhi. We appreciate the statesmanship of (former PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Under PM Narendra Modi, we have come close to understand each other, and worked out a new relation between the two parties ... Nagas will forever remember you for your statesmanship." Prime Minister Modi called the deal "historic".