New Delhi, Dec. 18: Troops of the Royal Bhutan Army are surrounding and engaging insurgents from India?s northeast in their camps in southern Bhutan and avoiding close-quarters combat, according to an assessment made in the Indian security establishment.

The military operation is the first of its kind undertaken by the Indian Army-trained Bhutan troops.

They have taken casualties and Indian Army and air force helicopters are evacuating them to military hospitals. On Wednesday, the helicopters flew six sorties to Calcutta, presumably ferrying casualties to the command hospital.

Sources in the...

Aizawl, Dec. 18: The ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) has constituted a team to placate party workers who are angry over chief minister Zoramthanga choosing to vacate the Kolasib seat instead of Champhai, both of which he contested and won in the recent Assembly poll.

The MNF switched to damage-control mode immediately after the Assembly session ended yesterday and asked treasurer and cabinet minister R. Tlanghmingthanga to explain the situation to party members. He left for Kolasib, which the chief minister officially vacated on Tuesday, this morning.

Officer-bearers of all units of the...

GUWAHATI, Dec 18 ? Opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) members today walked out of Assam Assembly for the day in the wake of AGP member Dr Zoii Nath Sharma being expelled from the House on charges of ?showing disrespect to the Chair and democracy.? As soon as the House assembled at 9 a.m. today on the first day of the Winter Session, Opposition AGP members demanded a thorough discussion on the issue of anti-Bihari violence in the House by adjourning the Question Hour.

The AGP legislators Hitendra Nath Goswami requested the Chair for adjournment of...

SAMDRUP JONGKHAR, Dec 18? Bhutan today rejected a ceasefire call by ULFA and vowed to go ahead with the ongoing ?short but decisive? military operation till the end result of flushing the Indian insurgents out of its soil was achieved, reports PTI. Amidst reports of over 120 insurgents, including the chief of Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) Jiban Singha killed and over 500 captured, in the operation that continued for the fourth day, Bhutan accused the Indian insurgent groups of ULFA, NDFB and KLO of violating its sovereignty and said ?as long as they are here, they pose a threat to...

NEW DELHI, Dec 17 ? Irked by repeated charges by Congress MPs about delay in despatch of additional forces, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Swami Chindmayanand held that Assam Government failed to make proper utilisation of available forces and there was delay in mobilisation of army. The repeated accusation by Congress MPs that Centre did not act on repeated request by Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi who wrote 14 letters to Deputy Prime Minister, LK Advani infuriated the Minister of State, who countered that the State Government did not even properly utilise the forces it had at its disposal...