In an admission that created pandemonium through India’s security apparatus, the banned Meitei insurgent outfit People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has publicly taken responsibility for a brazen drone-assisted ambush on an Assam Rifles outpost in Manipur’s volatile Tengnoupal district. Dubbed “Operation Lang Ol” by the terrorist group, the November 28 assault not only injured four paramilitary personnel but also represents a grim milestone: the first confirmed use of drones in a counter-insurgency (CI) environment against Indian forces.

This development is a humble reminder of the evolving sophistication of valley-based insurgent groups (VBIGs) and raises alarms about cross-border threats in India’s sleepy Northeast and operationally hot Western border.

The attack on Nov 28:

The pre-dawn raid unfolded in the misty borderlands near pillars 85 and 86, in the remote Yangoupokpi area straddling Saibol and Maringthel villages along the India Myanmar frontier. A unit from the 3rd Assam Rifles Battalion came under a coordinated fusillade of grenades, small-arms fire, and—most alarmingly—explosives as per the video delivered via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Official reports confirm no fatalities, but the injuries point at the the human cost of this persistent low-intensity conflict. 4 Assam rifles soldiers were injured in the attack.

What elevates this incident from routine border skirmish to a potential game-changer is the PLA’s release of timestamped drone footage on 11 Dec’25. The 7 minutes long video, circulated via encrypted channels and social media, meticulously documents the operation’s phases: reconnaissance drones silently mapping the outpost’s layout, precision drops of improvised explosives triggering plumes of smoke and secondary blasts, and even ground-level footage of jubilant fighters withdrawing under cover. The footage culminates at the group’s stronghold in Min Thar, a sprawling VBIG camp in Myanmar’s Mu Se Township, Sagaing Division—just 1.45 kilometers from Manipur’s border or so the author assumes. Offciial confrimation of the exact location is not released yet. Nestled amid paddy fields and fortified with multiple bunkers and training facilities, Min Thar serves as a critical launchpad for cross border infiltrations, exposing a glaring vulnerability in India’s porous frontier defenses.

This audacious display of drone warfare draws uncomfortable parallels to the escalating aerial threats India has faced on its western front. Just months earlier, in May 2025, tensions with Pakistan boiled over into open drone skirmishes following the deadly Pahalgam attack in Kashmir. Pakistani UAVs targeted Indian military installations, including suspected incursions near the strategically vital Pathankot airbase in Punjab—a site which witnessed the 2016 terrorist attack. Indian forces neutralized several incoming drones, but the episode, part of the broader “Operation Sindoor” fallout, claimed lives and injured personnel, much like the Tengnoupal ambush.

PLA’s embrace of such tactics could democratize asymmetric warfare, allowing even resource-strapped groups to punch above their weight and challenge India’s air defense superiority. Drone experts have been warning about such escalation since sometime now.

Resonant News has been regularly posting updates about the drone videos the group had been posting since Sep’2025.

Video from september

The drones:

PLA Manipur is most likely inspired by the Myanmari groups which have been very effectively using drones against Myanmar Army. The most commly used ones are the commercial quadcopters which can be bought off-the-shelf, the multi-rotor drones DJI models from China. These are commonly used for surveillance and small-payload drops. It has a range of 5-10 km and carry a payload of 1-2 kg.

There are also the agricultural/hobby Drones (Bomber Multicopters). These are the larger crop-dusting or hexacopter drones repurposed for bombing. They have more range compared to simpler quadcopters, of about 10-20 km and can carry payload of 5-10 kg (mortar rounds or RPGs).

Earlier in Feb 2023 we had published an article on the kind of drones used by PDF. You can read about it here.Drone Attack Shocked Manipur-Based Terrorists, 5 Killed 10 Injured

The hiding grounds

The PLA’s operational footprint extends far beyond this single raid, sustained by a network of hidden camps scattered across Manipur’s rugged terrain and safe havens in Myanmar, Bangladesh and China. The group’s military wing is organized into four divisions, covering the Sadar Hill West and eastern Valley areas, as well as the state’s expansive hill districts. Key strongholds include the remote Thuambual camp, relocated about 5 km deeper into Myanmar territory in 2019 to evade detection; Thanang village near the border town of Tamu, a frequent staging ground for raids; and temporary outposts like Soibolkuki and Singhat within Manipur itself.

In July 2025, Indian drone strikes targeted five PLA-linked camps in Myanmar, bringing to the fore the perpetual cat-and-mouse game along this 1,643-kilometer border. These enclaves not only facilitate arms smuggling and training but also fuel the ethnic cauldron of Manipur, where Meitei-Kuki clashes have displaced thousands since 2023.

The Chinese footprint

Exacerbating these domestic fissures are the PLA’s shadowy international ties, particularly its long standing nexus with China. Founded in 1978 by a cadre of Manipuris, the group’s foundational leaders—known as the “Ojhas”—underwent two years of indoctrination and guerrilla training in China’s Yunnan province before launching their separatist campaign. Reports from Indian intelligence agencies suggest this relationship persists tot his day, with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA—unrelated to the Manipur outfit but often conflated in nomenclature) providing covert military instruction, small arms, and even drone technology transfers to Northeast insurgents.

Some reports claim that PLA Manipur has some hubs in China where they go and purchase weapons from. Also, the Chinese agencies/ military had trained 16 platooons of PLA Manipur in 2019. Yet China has the audacity to decline its involvement in India’s East is not a surprise to many.

Beijing has claiming it doesnt support the banned group— albeit the 2020 ambush on Assam Rifles troops in Chandel district bore hallmarks of Chinese weaponry, including advanced assault rifles traced to PLA stockpiles.

In the broader geopolitical chessboard, China’s Belt and Road Initiative ambitions in Myanmar and its strategic encirclement of India’s Northeast amplify these links, transforming local insurgencies into proxies for Beijing’s influence.

As Manipur reels from its protracted ethnic strife—exacerbated by the 2023 Meitei-Kuki violence that has claimed over myriads of lives—the Tengnoupal attack serves as a stark reminder of the VBIGs’ intentions. Operating from Myanmar’s lawless Sagaing Division, groups like the PLA exploit ungoverned spaces to sustain their “people’s war” for an independent socialist Manipur. Indian security forces, bolstered by the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act/AFSPA, have intensified operations, but the integration of drones demands a recalibration: enhanced electronic warfare, border surveillance via indigenous UAVs like the DRDO’s Rustom, and deeper diplomatic pressure on Myanmar’s junta.

In this theater of shadows, where paddy fields conceal launchpads and borders blur into battlegrounds, the PLA’s bold claim is more than bravado—it’s a declaration of intent. As India’s East braces for winter chill, the real storm may yet brew from the skies above.

You can watch more videos related to PLA Manipur on the Youtube links given below.