Insurgents kill 4 Indian paramilitary soldiers in northeast

GAUHATI, India – Suspected insurgents killed at least four Indian paramilitary soldiers Sunday after ambushing their vehicles in a hilly area in the country’s remote northeast, police said.

Two other soldiers belonging to the Assam Rifles were wounded when the rebels attacked one jeep and a truck in which they were moving, using automatic weapons and hand grenades, said a police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack in Nagaland state, but the police suspect it was carried out by rebels belonging to a faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Khaplang group).

Other details were not immediately available. The area is nearly 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Gauhati, the capital of Assam state.

The faction has been fighting for an independent homeland for the Naga tribes. It ended peace talks with the Indian government in 2015 after 14 years of futile negotiations.

In 2015, the group ambushed an Indian army convoy in neighbouring Manipur state, killing 18 soldiers in their worst attack in two decades. Since then, the army has stepped up operations against the group.

Separatist groups in the northeast accuse the Indian government of exploiting the region’s rich natural resources while neglecting local development.