July 19, 2002	Friday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1423

GUWAHATI, July 18: At least seven paramilitary soldiers were killed on Thursday in an ambush by tribal separatists in India’s northeastern state of Assam, police said.

Heavily-armed militants belonging to the Dima Haolam Daoga (DHD) group attacked a state police convoy in North Cachar hill district, 320 kilometres south of the state capital of Guwahati, a spokesman said.

“A three-vehicle convoy were on a patrol when they were ambushed by the rebels,” district administrator Iftikhar Hussain said from Cachar.

Six policemen died immediately and another policeman succumbed to bullet injuries on the way to a hospital.

The attackers escaped with five automatic weapons, Hussain said.

The DHD, fighting for greater autonomy for the Dimasa tribe, was suspected to be behind in the attack, he said.

So far none of Assam’s several militant groups have claimed responsibility for the strike.

On Tuesday separatist rebels killed four Indian soldiers in a similar ambush in a nearby district.

On Monday militants shot dead nine displaced tribal refugees in western Assam.

More than 10,000 people have died because of the insurgency in Assam during the past two decades.—AFP