Defence PRO Kohima confirms blast on Assam Rifles vehicles on Dimapur-Zubza road; search operation launched, security tightened along Assam-Nagaland border
By Lulun Haokip | Kukiland Express
Kohima, July 14, 2026: One Assam Rifles personnel was killed and four others were injured in a suspected Improvised Explosive Device, IED, blast targeting a convoy of vehicles near Sukhovi in Nagaland’s Chümoukedima district on Monday afternoon, officials said.
According to the Defence Public Relations Officer, PRO, Kohima, the blast occurred at around 4:00 p.m. when Assam Rifles vehicles were moving along the Dimapur-Zubza route near Sukhovi, close to the 5th Assam Rifles headquarters.
“A suspected IED blast is reported near Sukhovi on Assam Rifles vehicles. One security personnel has lost his life and four injured. Operation in progress. Further details awaited,” the Defence PRO said in a statement quoted by news agency ANI.
Sources said the IED is suspected to have been planted roadside and was triggered remotely as the convoy passed the area. The impact damaged one vehicle and left five personnel injured, one of whom later succumbed to his injuries. The injured jawans were immediately evacuated to a military hospital in Dimapur and their condition is stated to be stable.
Soon after the incident, additional columns of Assam Rifles, Nagaland Police and other central forces cordoned off the entire area and launched a massive search and combing operation to trace the perpetrators. Check posts along the Dimapur-Kohima National Highway-29 have been put on high alert and vehicular movement is being thoroughly checked.
No insurgent group has claimed responsibility for the attack till the filing of this report. Security agencies suspect the involvement of Naga insurgent groups operating in the region, though an official confirmation is awaited.
The incident comes amid heightened security deployment in the state ahead of the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. This is the first major IED attack on security forces in Nagaland this year.
