GAUHATI, India (AP) Police and paramilitary commandos raided a remote rebel camp in northeast India on Thursday, killing three armed rebels in a shootout while capturing one, officials said.
Police were still searching villages and forests for rebels who escaped the raid in Meghalaya state, including a leader believed to be involved in the Nov. 4 attack that killed seven people in a group of holiday revelers in neighboring Assam, police said.
Acting on a tip that up to 20 rebels were hiding out near Sampalgre village, the officers and paramilitary troops encircled the village overnight, said magistrate Vijay Mantri in the East Garo district. A shootout broke out early Thursday that left three militants dead and one in custody, he said.
Police say Thursday's raid involved militants from a newly formed group called the United Achik Liberation Army. The word achik means "homeland" in the local Garo tribal language.
There are dozens of active rebel groups demanding autonomy in the region.
