NEW DELHI: The killing of eight security men in an ambush in Nagaland on Sunday has been strongly denounced by the politicos with the Nagaland Chief Minister calling an emergency cabinet meeting on Monday and the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (North) ordering a court of inquiry to find the operational lapses.

Eight security personnel, including seven Assam Rifles jawans and one jawan of Naga Territorial Army were killed and few others injured in an ambush carried out by rebels near Changlangshu in the far flung Mon district of Nagaland late Sunday afternoon.

It must be mentioned here that the security personnel were not carrying out any operation during the time they were attacked, rather, they had just gone to fetch water for themselves. A water collection team comprising about 20 personnel of Assam Rifles and Naga Territorial Army which was travelling in two vehicles from Changlangshu to Tobu in Mon district when suspected NSCN-K insurgents first triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) under one of the vehicles and simultaneously opened fire.

While the security forces as well as the government of Nagaland suspected only the National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Khaplang (NSCN-K) to be behind the attack, the newly floated conglomerate of four militant outfits of the North East, the United Liberation Front of West South East Asia (UNLFW), which consists of NSCN (K), ULFA (I), NDFB (S) and Kamatapur Liberation Organization, has claimed responsibility for this ambush.

This new joint force UNLFW was formed only last month in Myanmar and is headed by chairman of NSCN (K), SS Khaplang.

Following the killings on Sunday, the Assam Rifles and other security forces have been put on a high alert. All the exit points along the Indo-Myanmar border have been blocked with immediate effect and intense operations have also been launched against the NSCN (K).

Also, Nagaland Chief Minister, TR Zeliang carried out a meeting with the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju on Monday and requested the Centre to urge the NSCN (K) to reconsider their stand and extend the ceasefire Agreement.

A press note from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) stated that it is only through dialogue and negotiation that permanent settlement and peace can be brought to the Naga society.

Further, Zeliang also called emergency Cabinet meeting to deliberate on the ambush. The Cabinet expressed concern over the incident and stated that killings cannot bring about any solution to the prolonged Naga political problem. It further appealed to all concerned to desist from violence.

It is pertinent to mention here that on March 27, the NSCN (K) abrogated ceasefire agreement with the Central government and since then, there have been a series of such attacks on security personnel . Five Assam Rifles personnel have been killed in ambush in the past one month in Kohima alone.