Hill rebels massacre 10 Assam non-tribals

GUWAHATI, July 16: In yet another massacre by tribal guerrillas of Karbi Anglong in the hills of Assam left at least 10 non-tribals, including five children, dead near Hambren. The heavily armed militants surrounded two small hamlets in the hills of Karbi Anglong and opened indiscriminate fire that killed three men, two women and five children of two families. All the deceased were non-Karbi. The administration suspects the hand of the United Peoples Democratic Solidarity militants. More than 50 non-Karbi villagers in the district's Hambren sub-division have been killed so far. The UPDS came into existence in March 1999 when two militant outfits, the KNV and KPF, decided to join hands. Their political demands are not yet known. The outfit, that has procured sophisticated arms and ammunition with advanced communication equipment, has created terror in the district by clamping self-styled taxes on non-Karbi villagers and government officials. The state administration is yet to take any effective measures to check the ongoing violence against the non-tribals of the hill districts. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, three ULFA militants and a police commando were killed in an encounter with the police near Sarthebari in Lower Assam's Barpeta district on Saturday night.