Alwaght-India has called upon its neighbors to help track down separatist militants behind the recent massacre of villagers in the country’s restive northeastern state of Assam as it steps up a military offensive in the strife-torn territory.
On Friday, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj sought Bhutan's help to trace members of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
"The minister did take it up with the Bhutanese leadership to seek their support in what we see as a national endeavor to tackle the scourge that is creating a problem there," India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters in New Delhi.
Swaraj was "assured of support" from Bhutan and is also "working on trying to contact other friendly countries in this context", he added.
Earlier on Friday, Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag said units of government forces would mount an offensive against militants in Assam state.
Groups of militants, who were dressed in military uniforms, attacked several Adivasi villages in Kokrajhar and Sonitpur districts on December 23. The assaults left over 80 people dead, including many children. Police officials accuse NDFB gunmen of being responsible for the raids.
The army has already deployed 6,000 additional security forces and military helicopters to secure Assam.
According to authorities, the police and the army have killed more than 30 NDBF militants in the past few months in an offensive.
Over 14,000 people have taken shelter in temporary camps following militant attacks on tribal villages in Assam state.
Police announced the figure on Friday while television footage showed large numbers of people in open areas alongside schools and community centers, where the local administration helped them.
Assam, which borders the South Asian countries of Bhutan and Bangladesh, has for a long time witnessed violent land disputes between the indigenous Bodo tribes, Muslim settlers and the Adivasi community.
The NDFB wants a separate homeland for Bodo tribes, which account for 10 percent of Assam’s 33-million-strong population.
Source: Press TV
