'40 terrorists killed by armed forces'; fresh clashes break out in Manipur

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Sunday said nearly 40 armed militants involved in torching houses and firing at civilians have been killed by security forces since they began an operation to bring peace to the north eastern state beset by ethnic rioting. Singh's comments came in the backdrop of fresh clashes breaking out between armed groups and security forces at over half a dozen places across Manipur on Sunday. The Chief Minister who was interacting with the media persons at the state secretariat, claimed the latest round of "conflict is not between communities but between Kuki militants and security forces". Singh also said that there had been cases of armed militants firing at civilians with AK-47s, M-16 and sniper rifles. These militants were targeted by security forces in counter-attacks. The CM appealed to the public not to hinder the movement of security personnel and urged them to have "faith in the government and support the security forces."