Nine killed in Manipur violence

GUWAHATI: Five paramilitary troopers and four militants were killed in two attacks in Manipur, police said on Thursday.

Armed militants of the People's Revolutionary Army of Kangleipak (PREPAK) ambushed a paramilitary convoy late on Wednesday in hills some 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Imphal, a police spokesman said.

"The convoy was on a routine patrol when they were ambushed," the paramilitary unit's chief SK Jain said.

PREPAK, which is fighting for an independent homeland for the majority Metei community, claimed responsibility.

"Our armed wing, the Red Army, planned and executed the attack," said a rebel spokesman, local newspapers reported.

More than 19 militant groups in Manipur, which borders Myanmar, are making demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy.

In neighbouring Nagaland state, four rebels of a faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) were killed on Wednesday in an attack by a rival faction, police said. Two bystanders were also wounded.

The NSCN factions are engaged in a fight over territorial supremacy in Nagaland. The NSCN wants an independent homeland for Nagas.