Guwahati: Suffering severe casualties and arrest of its top leaders, United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) today (Dec 17, 2003) appealed to Bhutanese Government to call off its operations to flush out the heavily armed Northeastern insurgents from its soil, but the pounding of militants continued for the third day.

Determined to throw out the over 3,000 separatists from its soil, the Royal Bhutanese Army overran at least six of their camps along the Indian border and arrested KLO chief Tom Adhikary and publicity secretaries of ULFA and NDFB (National Democratic Front of Bodoland) - Mithinga Daimary and Erakdao respectively.

Over 120 deaths, including of 90 ultras, have been reported by intelligence sources.

Apparently unnerved by the surprise Bhutanese offensive, ULFA, whose two main camps have been destroyed, urged the Royal Government to stop the operations.

But the Government said it undertook the operation after all attempts at a peaceful solution failed when the militants "never took any negotiation seriously".

PTI

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