Indian troops kill 7 rebels on Bhutan border

Indian troops shot dead seven tribal separatists in two separate encounters along the Bhutan border, an official said Tuesday.

An army spokesman said three militants of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) were killed late Monday in India's northeastern state of Assam, which borders the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.

"The NDFB militants were trying to sneak into Assam from their camps in Bhutan when army soldiers on a routine patrol challenged them," the official told AFP.

The encounter, 250 kilometres (156 miles) west of Assam state capital Guwahati, lasted for more than two hours.

On Sunday, troops shot dead four NDFB militants close to the border in similar circumstances, the official said.

They recovered three AK-56 assault rifles, four grenades, and a mortar, besides a huge cache of ammunition from the dead militants.

The NDFB, fighting for an independent homeland for the Bodo tribe in Assam, operates out of bases in southern Bhutan to carry out their hit-and-run guerrilla strikes on federal soldiers.

Another rebel group, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) is also fighting for an independent homeland and operating out of Bhutan.

Bhutan has admitted that ULFA alone has six camps in the country, including the outfit's general headquarters and military training bases inside thick jungles.

Although Bhutan has not taken action against the separatists for fear of retaliatory attacks, last month it threatened to use its military might to remove them.