Rebel attack kills seven in Assam

Military officials in the Indian northeastern state of Assam say seven people were killed in an attack by separatist rebels on Tuesday.

The rebels ambushed a military convoy at Durgapur village, near the border with Bhutan, killing five soldiers and two pro-Indian militants of the Bodo tribe who were accompanying army troops.

Another three soldiers and four pro-Indian militants were injured.

The separatist National Democratic Front of Bodoland NDFB said it carried out the attack.

The NDFB rebels want an independent homeland for the Bodo people and for the past five years have been involved in clashes with the Indian army and the pro-Indian Bodo militants.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service