A senior police official in Guwahati termed the threat issued by the ULFA commander through an e-mail sent to a section of media in Guwahati as nothing but 'an attempt by the ULFA leader to remain in headlines.'
The police official said there was nothing new about the threat and cops remained always alert against the omnipresent threat from the banned ULFA.
PTI adds:
However, security forces in the North East are on an alert after ULFA threatened to launch attacks targeting the forces and their installations.
"Our bases have perimeter walls and tiered-security layers to thwart any possible attack," Eastern Air Command AOC-in-C Air Marshal KK Nohwar said in Shillong on Thursday.
Stating that 'base defence' was among his top priorities, Nohwar said, "The region lies close to the foothills of Himalayas and base defence is of utmost significance in the region which has a peculiar terrain."
"All our commanders have been briefed to retain combat edge. They have to be operationally ready at all times," the EAC chief said, adding the command will induct more assets into this area to warn of approaching threats.
There are five key air bases in Assam -- Tezpur, Chabua, Jorhat, Mohanbari and Guwahati.
The ULFA had threatened to strike primarily Central forces, including Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Indo Tibetan Border Police, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashashtra Seema Bal and Border Roads Organisation.
A spokesman at the BSF' Assam-Meghalaya headquarters said the force was on alert to thwart any attack by militants on its installations and units. Assam Rifles and CRPF were also on alert.
Hit hard by the arrest of some of his close aides, ULFA 'Commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua threatened series of attacks targetting mainly security forces.
