Photo Courtesy: nagalandpost
Kohima: A suspected IED blast killed one Assam Rifles soldier and injured five others in Nagaland on Monday, July 13. The attack occurred around 2:00 p.m. near Shokhuvi village in the Chumoukedima district. Havildar Mohd Iqbal died in the explosion. The personnel were traveling in a Mahindra pickup truck toward Dimapur when the device detonated. It was likely planted inside a stationary autorickshaw parked on the roadside near the Khovanalla iron bridge.
Five survivors were rushed to the CIHSR hospital. One soldier remains in critical condition within the Intensive Care Unit, while three others sustained minor injuries. A local civilian, identified as a non-Naga resident, was also wounded by flying shrapnel. Investigators are currently examining whether the bomb was triggered remotely.
Security forces flooded the area immediately. Personnel from the Assam Rifles, Dimapur Police, National Investigation Agency, and forensics units cordoned off the site. Bomb disposal teams combed through the twisted metal of the destroyed vehicle to gather evidence. No group has claimed responsibility for the strike. This marks the second attack on the force in under a week, following a July 6 ambush in Manipur that killed two soldiers from the 40th Battalion.
Retired Army officer and Kirti Chakra awardee Major Digvijay Singh Rawat alleged the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah) carried out the hit in collaboration with ULFA. Official sources have not confirmed these claims. State leadership issued stern warnings following the violence.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio condemned the incident. “My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected. Those responsible will be identified and brought to justice. We will not allow such acts to threaten the peace and security of our people,” he stated. Governor Nand Kishore Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers T.R. Zeliang and Y. Patton, and organizations including the BJP Nagaland, CNTC, and the Chakhroma Public Organisation also denounced the attack. Investigations continue.
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