Guwahati: Nine militants were reported killed in a gunbattle between two rival groups in Assam on Friday.
Karbi militants torched 19 houses at Kakubasti and Kisiri Bongaon villages and were heading for Tamulbari when Dimasa militants ambushed them.
Nine Karbi militants were killed in the gunbattle that followed.
Five of the slain militants were disguised as policemen. The bodies were found with torches in their hands, police said.
The clash took place in the troubled tribal-dominated Karbi Anglong district, about 250 km southeast of Guwahati, where over 86 militants have died in ethnic clashes in the last two weeks.
Hundreds of others have been rendered homeless after rival groups burnt down their homes.
Karbis-backed United People's Democratic Solidarity (UPDS) is fighting for more political autonomy, while the Dimasa outfit, Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), is demanding a separate homeland in the district.
Both groups have declared a ceasefire with the government and are involved in peace talks to settle their demands.
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