Rebels kill 23 in Assam raid

At least 23 people have been killed and 30 injured by separatist rebels in a remote village in India's north-eastern state of Assam.

A group of about 12 gunmen, thought to be from the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland, raided the village of Tatgiri in the Kokrajhar district, near the border with Bhutan.

They opened fire on sleeping villagers before dawn.

The rebels want an independent homeland for the Bodo tribal community in Assam and a police spokesman said this latest attack was part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Those killed were from neighbouring states.

The Indian authorities say the rebels launch their attacks from bases across the border in Bhutan.

More than 10,000 people have died in insurgencies in Assam over the past 20 years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service