Kuki militant leader killed by unidentified gunmen in Manipur

Self-styled deputy chief of militant outfit Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) Thangboi was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in interior Bishenpur district of Manipur, police said here today.
    
The assailants gunned down Thangboi from point-blank range at Mahadev temple of Leimaram Waroiching in the district yesterday when Thangboi was travelling in the area, they said.
    
The body has been sent to the Regional Institute of Medical Science and Hospital here for post-mortem.
    
Militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party-Military Council (KCP-MC) claimed responsibility for killing Thangboi alleging that the victim was an 'informer' of security agencies operating in the state.
    
In a statement, the militant outfit also claimed that Thangboi was responsible for the killing of two KCP-MC cadres by security personnel on October 27 at the border of Senapati and Tamenglong district in the state.
    
Over 450 persons have so far been killed in militancy-related crimes in Manipur this year.