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Five killed in ambush in Indian state of Tripura

AGARTALA: Separatist tribal guerrillas ambushed a paramilitary patrol on Saturday, killing five security personnel and wounding seven in the northeastern Indian state of Tripura, police officials said.

The patrol was attacked at Ganddachara, 135 km (84 miles) northeast of state capital Agartala.

"At 8 a.m, a vehicle of the Central Reserve Police Force was ambushed by heavily-armed National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) rebels. Five security personnel were shot dead and seven seriously hurt," Superintendent of Police (Operation) Jaidev Das told Reuters.

The guerrillas snatched four AK-47 rifles and four grenades, Das said.

Senior civil and security officials were carrying out a massive operation in the thick forests around the spot of ambush to track down the assailants.

The NLFT is one of the several rebel groups fighting for autonomy or independence in India's heavily forested and hilly northeastern region, where many political movements are linked to tribal feuds or ethnic rights.-Reuters