A significant confrontation erupted along the Indo-Myanmar border on June 5, 2025, as Indian security forces engaged with a group of armed militants in Pongchau Circle, Longding district, Arunachal Pradesh. The operation, triggered by precise intelligence, reflects the escalating security concerns in India’s Northeast, a region grappling with cross-border threats and regional instability.
According to a statement from the PRO Defence, Manipur, Nagaland & South Arunachal, a patrol was launched by security forces, including personnel from the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, in the early hours of June 5. The mission aimed to curb suspected militant activity in the border area. However, the patrol came under sudden attack when militants opened fire with heavy weaponry. The Indian forces responded swiftly with a robust counterattack, forcing the assailants to flee across the border into Myanmar after a fierce exchange of fire.
No injuries were reported among the Indian troops, and the militants managed to escape, taking advantage of the dense jungles and rugged landscape along the 1,643-km border. The region has long been a conduit for insurgent activities, arms smuggling, and drug trafficking, challenges that have intensified since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar and ethnic violence in Manipur since May 2023, which has claimed over 260 lives.
The Indo-Myanmar border has been a focal point of security concerns for India, with the government taking steps to bolster defenses in recent years. In February 2024, the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed visa-free travel up to 16 km across the border for local communities, was scrapped to curb illegal infiltration and trafficking. Additionally, in September 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved a Rs 31,000 crore project to fence the entire border and develop patrolling tracks. However, progress has been slow due to difficult terrain, local resistance, and interference from Myanmar-based groups like the People’s Defence Force, which have previously targeted border infrastructure.
This operation in Longding comes in the wake of a history of cross-border military actions in the region. In 2015, Indian Special Forces conducted Operation Hot Pursuit in Myanmar, targeting NSCN-K militants following an ambush on an Indian Army convoy in Manipur, resulting in the deaths of around 38 insurgents.
