Courtesy: South Asia Terrorism Portal As found on 04 Dec 2007 at satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/assam/terrorist_outfits/AANLA.HTM ** ** ** *All Adivasi National Liberation Army *
*Formation and Objectives* ** *The All Adivasi National Liberation Army (AANLA) was formed in the second half of 2006. * ** *The AANLA claims to be fighting to safeguard the tribal culture of the plantation workers whose ancestors were brought from northern India by British colonialists. The outfit demands Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Adivasi community and rehabilitation of the displaced members of its community. Official sources, however, indicate that AANLA is not a well-organised group and it does not have well-thought out aims and objectives. * ** *Area of Operation* ** *The Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam are the primary area of operation for the outfit. Few arrests of the AANLA cadres have also been reported from the western Assam district of Kokrajhar and the Dimapur city of Nagaland. * ** *Leadership* ** *Nirmal Tarki is reported to be the head of the AANLA. The outfit has an estimated cadre strength of 100. The armed cadres of the outfit, however, are not believed to be more than 20. Weapons available with the outfit include AK series Rifles, carbines, pistols, SLRs etc.* ** *Funding* ** *The outfit primarily targets the tea gardens of the Golaghat and Karbi Anglong districts for extortion. It abducts estate managers in the event of non-payment of its demand. The outfit reportedly shares a portion of the extorted amount with the ULFA and the NSCN-IM.* ** *Linkages* ** *Police sources have indicated that the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) played a significant role in its formation. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM), too, shares strategic linkages with the outfit. * ** *The AANLA also has operational linkages with the Manipur-based Kuki Revolutionary Army (KRA). The KRA has provided training and logistic support to the AANLA. KRA's training camp at Singhasan in the Karbi Anglong district has reportedly been used for training the AANLA militants. KRA reportedly charges INR 5000 per month per head to train AANLA cadres. It also sells arms and ammunition to the AANLA.* ** *Incidents* ** *2007* ** *September 14: Two AANLA militants were killed by police in an encounter at Males basti under Howraghat police station in the Karbi Anglong district where they had come to extort money from a businessman. One 9mm pistol and six rounds live ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.* ** *August 22: An AANLA cadre, identified as Soha Baski, was arrested from the Gossaigaon area of Kokrajhar district. One revolver, three Chinese grenades, four detonators and two IED circuits were recovered from his possession. * ** *August 9: An abducted tea executive was set free by suspected AANLA militants. Anniruddha Tanti, the abducted tea executive, from Hirajuli Tea Estate under Dhekiajuli Police Station in Sonitpur district was found near a roadside eatery at Udalguri town in the neighbouring Udalguri district of northern Assam.* ** *August 7: One woman was shot dead by AANLA militants at Jafarajan Chariali under Bokajan police station in the Karbi Anglong district.* ** *July 23: One unidentified AANLA cadre was killed in an encounter with the police near Neparpatty Ghat under Sarupathar police station in the Golaghat district. One AK Rifle along with one magazine, eight rounds of live ammunition was recovered from him.* ** *July 9: Police arrested four suspected AANLA cadres, Ajit Toppo alias Boga, Asao Bardhia, Linus Milj and Ganesh Rama, along with one Italian made 9-mm pistol and 10 rounds of ammunition from Bimalapur under Borhat police station in the Sivasagar district. * ** *July 3: Six AANLA militants, including a woman, were arrested from Silanijan in the Golaghat district. They were reportedly on their way from Jaborijan, under Bokajan police station in neighbouring Karbi Anglong district, to Golaghat town for the treatment of two cadres who were suffering from malaria. * ** *March 4: Two AANLA cadres were killed in an encounter with the police at Nalanipathar under Sarupathar police station in the Golaghat district while two others were arrested. Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from the arrested militants.* ** *2006* ** *October 5: Police at Dimapur in Nagaland neutralised two militant hideouts and arrested one AANLA militant and four KRA cadres from different areas.* ** ** ** ** *Adivasi Cobra Force (ACF) * *Formation* ** *Adivasi Cobra Force (ACF), also known as the Adivasi Cobra Militant Force (ACMF) was formed in the second half of the 1990s * ** *Objectives* ** *The ACF was formed with the purported objective of protecting the Adivasi (tribal) people of Lower Assam through an armed revolution. * ** *Leadership and Area of Operation* ** *Its commander Durga Minz leads the outfit. The other senior members are Xabrias Khakha and Kandu Murmu. The outfit has an estimated strength of 100 terrorists. * ** *Initially formed in the Kokrajhar district, it subsequently widened its activities to the Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts. Since then, it has indulged in sporadic acts of killing and extortion in the area primarily targeting the tea gardens in the three districts. * ** *Linkages and Activities* ** *Even though the outfit is in its nascent stage, a recruitment drive is currently on to expand its strength. According to media reports, in the month of May and June 2001, the outfit managed to extort a huge ransom amount from the people in the Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Dhubri districts to continue its training programme in Bhutan. The ACF is reported to maintain links with the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation, a terrorist outfit based in certain districts of Assam and North Bengal. KLO has also reportedly assisted the ACF in setting up camps along the Bhutanese border. According to intelligence sources, it has also been trying to establish links with a particular militant group in Bihar to procure arms and ammunition. Furthermore, the outfit maintains few camps in the Kokrajhar district of Assam. In the year 2000, security forces destroyed a camp belonging to the outfit along the border of Kokrajhar district. * ** *On September 19, the ACF declared a unilateral cease-fire till January 2002 and urged the government to initiate a dialogue with it. Subsequently, on October 4, 2001, an ACF delegation met the Chief Minister in Guwahati. Since then, there has been no further dialogue with the outfit. Media reports, however, suggest that the outfit has resumed its terrorist activities. * *-- Jharkhand Forum A Global Network of Jharkhand E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] **Web: http://forum.jharkhand.org.in* [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
