Imphal, January 11: Following the January 9 shoot out at Khordak Ichin, the proscribed PREPAK has today declared a full war against its rival and asked all other armed outfits not to interfere in the matter.

In a statement issued by the department of publicity and propaganda, the outfit today said that the rival group could have been finished off easily earlier, but due to the fervent appeals and requests from the women folk of the land it had kept its Red Army under rein not to strike out.

Now that the rival group is hell bent on targeting the Red Army, no restraint will be shown, said the statement and urged all armed groups not to interfere.

Giving a blow by blow account of the incident on January 9, the statement said that about 20 cadres of the rival group had been beating up the people of Sekmaijin, Laphupat Tera and Khordak in the name of the UNLF.

These same batch also acted as members of the KYKL and PLA, said the statement.

On January 9 from 8.30 pm, the said batch started searching for Red Army cadres at Laphupat Tera.

At about 10.45 pm, a Red Army cadre, Wangthoi who was on duty asked the group to halt and identify themselves, as is the military practice, said the outfit.

At this the other armed group identified themselves as members of the KYKL and opened indiscriminate firing towards Wangthoi, claimed the statement.

Though hit in the firing, Wangthoi also retaliated which alerted four other cadres of the Red Army who were with their commander.

The four cadres along with the commander joined the gun fight and in the ensuing encounter, killed Langdaiba, who was leading the other team, as well as three others.

On seeing Langdaiba killed, the others fled, said the outfit and claimed that its cadres managed to recover one AK-56 rifle.

Other than Wangthoi who died shortly later, the Red Army suffered only one minor casualty, Ningthoujam Binoy who was hit at the buttock, said the statement.

To pay respect to the departed soul of Wangthoi all cadres of PREPAK observed a 2 minute silence with Reverse Arms at its Central Committee Hqs, General Hqs, District Hqs, Bn Hqs and mobile units, said the statement further.

As the �other� cadres had repeatedly posed themselves as cadres of either the PLA or the KYKL, PREPAK is confused, said the statement and urged the two outfits to clarify their stand on the matter through the local papers.

The statement also appealed to all armed outfits to join hands to unmask the agenda of the rival group and defeat their nefarious designs.

PREPAK salutes: People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) has offered revolutionary salute to four of its Red Army who were killed in the fierce factional gun-fight at Khordak Ichin Thong-khong on the night of January 9.The four Red Army are sergeant major Kh Ranjit (25) alias Nanao alias Langdaiba of Ningom Thongjao, Pvt Ksh Surjit (22) alias CK of Kakching Laimangol Ward no.10, Th Ram alias Rohit (23) of Sekmaijin Bazar Maning leikai and L Roshan alias Chetan (16) of Langol Housing Complex.

In a statement issued by the assistant secretary, dept of publicity and propaganda, the outfit described the death of the four red army as a great loss and shared the grief of the bereaved families.

he statement further appealed to the print and electronic media to desist from mentioning PRK while reporting news related to difference of opinion within PREPAK.

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