NEW DELHI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- An Indian Army officer and three militants have been killed in an encounter in the northeastern state of Nagaland, an Army spokesperson said Wednesday.
Reports said that a civilian was also killed in the exchange of fire in the state's Mon district, nearly 340 km from state capital Kohima, late Tuesday night, but the Army has not yet confirmed it.
Indian Army spokesperson Lt Col Chiranjeet Konwer said the encounter took place when troopers raided a place called Lappa in Mon late Tuesday night, following a tip-off that some militants of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland were moving through that area.
"The incident took place around 10 p.m. (local time) at Lappa. Based on information about the movement of the militants, the Army officer and his team went to the area when they were ambushed and an encounter ensued," he told the media.
He added: "The encounter continued for several hours. Later, the bodies of the three terrorists were found. The encounter is over, but combing operations are underway in the area. Three soldiers also sustained injures in the encounter."
The militant group has carried out several attacks on Indian security forces in the past. Suspected rebels from the group killed eight Indian Army soldiers close to the Myanmar border in Mon district two years ago.
