GNLA militant killed in Meghalaya

Shillong, May 1 (IANS) A Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) commander was killed Thursday when security forces raided a hideout in Meghalaya's South Garo Hills district, police said.

The militant group's commander was killed in a gun battle in the Daji Badimagre-Boldakgre area in that district that borders Bangladesh, said Abraham T. Sangma, a district police official.

"We launched an operation in the area based on a tip-off that some members of the group were taking shelter there," Sangma told IANS. The operation is still continuing in the area which is about 400 km from here.

The Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commandos, backed by CoBRA (Combat Battalion for Resolute Action) personnel, are conducting a combing operation to flush out the militants.

One AK rifle along with ammunition and a bag containing camouflage uniform were recovered from the site, the police official said.

The GNLA, one of the five Garo tribal rebel groups, is fighting for a separate Garoland to be carved out of Meghalaya.