New Delhi: Hours after two Kuki women were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Manipur’s Tamenglong district, suspected militants attacked a Naga village in neighbouring Kangpokpi district and burnt down at least two houses, reported Press Trust of India.According to officials, a large number of militants armed with sophisticated weapons attacked Chawangkining Naga village around 10.30 p.m. on Tuesday (September 15), just hours after the two Kuki women were killed in Tamenglong.“Intermittent firing was reported for nearly six hours till 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday (September 16). The CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) returned fire, preventing the militants from entering the village,” the official told PTI.Officials added that the militants burnt down two wooden houses at the periphery of the village.“Our village was attacked around 10.30 p.m. and firing continued till 4 a.m. CRPF deployed in our village returned fire and prevented it from being overrun,” said Daniel Charenamai, a villager.Senior Naga leader and Naga Peoples’ Front MLA Awangbou Newmai on Wednesday condemned the killing of two women and burning down of houses at Chawangkining.“These kinds of barbaric and senseless acts will never bring any good things to any community,” said Newmai in a statement.Earlier, the two deceased women in Tamenglong district were identified as Phalneichong alias Chonga Sitlhou, 78, and Kimjalhing alias Kimneo Singson, 28, with both being shot dead at the same place.As a mark of protest, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) had notified all Kuki-Zo civil society organisations that no Kuki-Zo person allegedly killed by Naga armed groups in Manipur would be buried until further notice.The killing of the two women came just two days after four Kuki people, two of whom were women, were killed in two attacks by suspected militants in Manipur’s Tamenglong and Noney districts on September 13.The ethnic conflict in Manipur which began in May 2023 has claimed at least 306 lives. Thousands are homeless in what is now an ethnically divided state.