Police kill Northeast rebel leader, comrade

GUWAHATI, January 24: Police said on Wednesday they had killed two separatist guerrillas including a key leader in the Northeastern city, Guwahati. Senior police official G.P. Singh told reporters that S.S. Lemba, "defence secretary" of the PREPAK group, and one of his lieutenants were killed in an encounter with police late on Tuesday night. The left-wing People's Revolutionary Army of Kangleipak (PREPAK) is fighting for independence of Manipur. It is one of the several ethnic groups in the mountainous region fighting for political autonomy or independence. Police said three guerrillas travelling in a truck fired at police at a checkpoint and two of the men were killed when police returned fire. One guerrilla escaped under the cover of darkness. The PREPAK guerrillas had tried to sneak into the city ahead of Republic Day on Friday, police said.