Photo Courtesy: nagalandpost
Kohima: An Improvised Explosive Device blast killed one Assam Rifles soldier and injured five others in the Chümoukedima A area on Monday. The attack occurred at approximately 2 p.m. near the Assam Rifles Training Centre and School in Shokhuvi. The victims were traveling toward Dimapur in a Mahindra pickup when the device detonated. It was likely triggered remotely from an autorickshaw parked on the roadside. The force of the explosion left nothing but mangled metal and debris.
Havildar Mohd Iqbal died in the attack. One other soldier remains in critical condition within an intensive care unit. Three additional personnel and a nearby civilian sustained minor injuries from shrapnel. All wounded victims were rushed to a hospital for urgent medical care.
This marks the second strike against the Assam Rifles in the Northeast within a week. Two soldiers from the 40th Battalion died in an ambush in Manipur’s Ukhrul district on July 6. Security forces including the National Investigation Agency, the Army, and local police have cordoned off the site. Forensic experts and bomb squads are working the scene while combing operations continue in the surrounding areas.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio condemned the blast as a “cowardly act” that had no place in society. State leadership, including Governor Nand Kishore Yadav, Deputy Chief Ministers T.R. Zeliang and Y. Patton, along with several local organizations, issued statements calling for a swift investigation. The NSCN-IM also denounced the bombing, labeling it a terrorist act and confirming it remains committed to its ceasefire agreement and the Geneva Call treaty banning anti-personnel mines.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast. Officials are investigating the possibility of a targeted strike against paramilitary forces. Public leaders are urging citizens to maintain calm as the investigation proceeds.
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