GUWAHATI, Jan 22: Heavily armed tribal guerrillas shot dead 16 villagers, including nine women and two children, in India’s northeastern state of Assam, police said on Tuesday.

The incident took place at Udalgiri, about 150km from Dispur, Assam’s capital.

The village lies near the border with Bhutan, where Indian officials say the rebels have their camps.

“A group of about 20 to 25 militants of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) carrying automatic weapons raided an isolated village and opened fire,” a police officer told newsmen.

Sixteen villagers, identified as settlers from the eastern state of Bihar, were shot dead after they were called out of their houses and ordered to line up, police said. The rebels also set about 20 houses on fire.—Reuters