Armed militants torch houses in Manipur’s Kamjong district, residents flee

Heavily armed militants attacked villages in Manipur’s Kamjong district near the India-Myanmar border on Thursday morning (May 7, 2026), setting fire to houses and forcing residents to flee, officials said.

According to police, the militants attacked Tangkhul Naga villages of Namlee, Wanglee and Choro in Kasom Khullen police station area around 4 am, causing residents of the border settlements to take shelter in nearby forests.

The villages are located less than a kilometer from the international border.

Authorities said at least one elderly woman was injured as she tried to escape during the attack.

According to villagers, a few houses were reduced to ashes except two houses in Namlee, three to four houses in Wanglee and a church in Choro.

Security forces, including Assam Rifles, later came to the area and assessed the situation.

Phungyar MLA L. Keishing claimed that the attack was carried out from across the border by Myanmar-based militant groups Kuki National Army (Burma) and People’s Defense Force (PDF).

“Until now, the province was showing internal conflicts, but today there were external attacks. A combined force of the Kuki National Army-B and the People’s Defense Forces attacked four to five border villages at 3.30 in the morning,” Mr. Keishing told reporters.

“Many houses were reduced to ashes, but there were no deaths. Two people, including a woman, are still untraceable. Eyewitnesses said they were taken away by armed militants,” the Naga People’s Front legislator said.

Terming it an “external attack”, the MLA said both the State and Central Governments should not remain silent.

“There is no Manipur Police presence in the area,” he claimed.

Mr. Keishing accused the Assam Rifles of failing to protect the villages.

“Assam Rifles troops visited the villages yesterday and the attack took place today. The villagers expressed their disappointment over the developments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tangkhul Aze Katamnao Long (TAKL), also known as Southern Tangkhul Students Union, expressed “extreme urgency and outrage” over the attacks on Tangkhul Naga border villages by Kuki militants allegedly operating under the Kuki National Army-Burma.

The student body claimed that around 100 armed KNA-B militants crossed the Indo-Myanmar border and entered Kamjong district and attacked villages including Namlee, Wanglee, Ashang Khullen and Choro.

He demanded that the state government immediately deploy Manipur Police commandos to the affected villages and demanded an immediate explanation on the alleged security breach that allowed around 100 armed militants to cross the international border undetected.