GUWAHATI, March 17: Eleven ethnic Naga rebels were killed by Indian soldiers after the guerrillas fired at a military patrol in the mountainous northeastern state of Manipur, a defence spokesman said on Sunday.

The separatist guerrillas, travelling in a truck, opened fire with automatic weapons at the patrol when they were stopped for a check late on Saturday at Palel in Chandel district, he said. The soldiers fired back, killing all 11 rebels, the spokesman said.

Palel is about 60 kms south of insurgency-plagued Manipur’s capital, Imphal.

“The militants have been identified as members of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), Issak-Muivah faction,” the spokesman said. A security official said the guerrillas were on their way to Imphal from their camps on the border with Myanmar.

Several automatic weapons and ammunition were recovered from the truck after the clash and senior security officials had gone to the area with reinforcements, the official said.

In a separate incident, Indian border troops arrested three NSCN rebels in the neighbouring state of Tripura early on Sunday, a senior police official said.—Reuters