Tripura rebels kill five

By Subir Bhaumik in Calcutta

Separatist rebels have killed five border guards in India's north-eastern state of Tripura on Friday.

Tripura police officials said heavily-armed rebels attacked a patrol of the border security force at Sidhicherra on the state's border with Bangladesh and opened fire from automatic weapons.

The first vehicle of the convoy managed to escape but the second vehicle was riddled with bullets.

All five border guards in that vehicle died on the spot and the rebels managed to decamp with three weapons and some ammunition.

The officials said that the rebels - who belong to the National Liberation Front of Tripura, or NLFT - escaped towards Bangladesh after the ambush.

Assam surrender

In the neighbouring state of Assam, 36 rebels belonging to the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) surrendered to the authorities on Friday.

Five of those who surrendered were senior leaders, two of them heading local committees of the rebel group.

The Assam state government described the surrenders as a major breakthrough.

ULFA leaders said it was just a gimmick as those who surrendered had left the organisation long ago and were not connected with its recent activities.