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Separatists Friday blew up a major installation of India’s premier oil exploration firm Oil India Limited (OIL) in Assam, triggering a massive fire leaping up to more than 100 metres.
The blast took place at the oil collection station (OCS) at Tipling, close to the OIL headquarters at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district, about 550 km east of Guwahati, officials said.
The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a huge setback to Maoists, its top leader Kishanji was today killed in a gunbattle with security forces in a forest in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, a day after he narrowly escaped from there.
The body of 58-year-old Molajula Koteswar Rao, better known as Kishanji, was found and identified after the encounter, a top counter-insurgency force official said.
Five ethnic armed groups, including two major Karen and Shan rebel organizations, held peace talks with a Naypyidaw delegation at the Thai-Burmese border on Saturday and three informally agreed a ceasefire, according to sources.
The Karen National Union (KNU) and Shan State Army-South (SSA-South) met with a Burmese government delegation led by Aung Min, the minister for railways, who was sent by President Thein Sein.
“We talked about peace. We asked what was the role for ethnic armed groups in the government’s peace process,” said Maj Sai Lao Hseng, a spokesperson for the SSA-South.
“The Minister, Aung Min, explained to us that there are three steps toward the emergence of peace—a ceasefire, cooperation between ceasefire groups and Naypyidaw for development, and a meeting hosted by the government to tackle unsolved political conflicts,” he added.
Putting the onus of peace talks on the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, the Maoists in a letter to the interlocutors, publicised on Monday, called off the mutual cease-fire agreed earlier.
“The one-month cease fire agreement we entered with you has expired Oct 30. Since then, there has been no communication on the issue either from the government or you. In wake of this, we declare the end of cease-fire,” read the letter dated Oct 31 and signed by Communist Party of India-Maoist state secretary Akash.
Three policemen were killed when a group of Taliban suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of Samkani district in southeastern Paktia province on Thursday, officials said.
Another two policemen were injured after they started a gun-battle with the attackers. Three attackers blew themselves up at the gate of the government building and the two others who tried to enter the compound were shot dead by police, governor’s spokesman, Rohullah Samoon, told Pajhwok Afghan News.