New Delhi: As Bhutan launched operation to flush them out of its soil, ULFA (United Liberation Front of Assam) cadres based in Bangladesh have been asked by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to retaliate and strike targets in India, sources said today (Dec 17, 2003).

Quoting intelligence and other reports, the sources said that some of the ULFA militants camping in bordering districts of Bangladesh were preparing for a major strike in Northeast or any other part of the country.

ULFA militants have also approached the Bodo ultras holed up in Manas wildlife sanctuary in Assam to carry out strikes in India.

The wildlife sanctuary, located on the Indo-Bhutan border, has been a traditional stronghold of Bodo and ULFA militants and has been used by them as a transit route to enter and exit Assam.

ISI has been providing overt and covert help to the banned Assamese outfits in Bangladesh but has failed to create any substantial base in Bhutan.

Bangladesh has denied that ULFA was running its camps in that country but time and again activities of this banned group have come to light showing a large presence in the border districts of the country.

The sources did not rule out the possibility that some of the ULFA militants had managed to sneak into Bangladesh after facing an onslaught from the Bhutanese Army.

PTI

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