The United Achik National Front (UANF) is a group based in the northeastern Indian State of Meghalaya, which shares a southern border with Bangladesh. It is believed that the group was formed by militants from the now defunct group known as the People's Liberation Front of Meghalaya (PLFM), although precise details are not available. The UANF is one of several outfits in the region that wage armed struggle against the Indian government to establish an independent state for the Garo peoples who have traditionally inhabited the area. Most members of this tribe live in the western regions of the state, in three districts known as West, East, and South Garo Hills. UANF received its strongest support from the people of Dalu, a city in the West Garo Hills district. The group's commander in chief, Nemos Marak, was raised in the area.<br /><p><br />The UANF has links to most Garo-based militant groups in Meghalaya, including the Achik National Volunteers' Council (ANVC), and it is believed to also be linked with other ethnic nationalist groups in the northeast of India, such as the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB). It has been found that the UANF, along with the NLFT and NDFB, have all sought shelter at the same camps in Bangladesh, based on raids conducted by the nation's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) forces.<br /><p><br />In its short history, the group has been involved in frequent gun battles with police in the Garo Hills districts. The UANF has also been known to extort members of the Meghalaya population, and in one case, a man was killed for refusing to pay the group. However, UANF become known across the region for its high-profile kidnapping of two Meghalaya State customs officials in late April 2006. D. Borah and Mrinal Sharma were held by UANF militants for several weeks and were only released when the State paid a large ransom. While the operation may have been considered a success by the UANF, the Indian government began a concerted campaign to dismantle the group.