By IANS
Guwahati : Seven paramilitary troopers were killed Friday in an ambush by tribal separatists in Assam, officials said.
A police spokesperson said militants suspected to be from the Black Widow faction of the outlawed Dima Haolam Daogah (DHD) attacked a three-vehicle convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) near village Longting in North Cachar Hills district, about 260 km from here. The attack took place around 11 a.m.
“One of the CRPF vehicles first ran over a powerful landmine. Soon after the explosion, militants hiding atop a hill fired indiscriminately on the convoy,” police official A. Das told IANS over the phone.
He said it was not clear whether the seven died in the explosion or got killed in the rebel gunfire.
“The CRPF troopers were on a routine patrol in the area when they were attacked. The area where the ambush took place was located in a hilly terrain,” he added.
The DHD is a rebel group fighting for a homeland for the Dimasa tribe in southern Assam. A faction of the DHD is currently operating a ceasefire with New Delhi. The Black Widow group of the DHD led by rebel leader Jewel Gorlosa is active in the area and involved in various attacks in recent months in the area.