Five dead in Indian rebel attack

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At least five Hindi speakers have been killed by separatist militants in India's north-eastern Assam state, police say.

Police said the rebels belonged to the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa). The rebels neither admitted nor denied responsibility for the attack.

The rebels attacked the Hindi-speaking workers at a brick kiln late on Sunday.

More than 160 Hindi speakers have been killed by the rebels in attacks during the last two years.

The rebel group says Hindi-speaking migrants and settlers from India's heartland states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are threatening the indigenous people of Assam.

They also accuse the incomers of being close to Indian security forces in Assam.

Soft targets

Assam police official DK Pathak told the BBC that the rebels fired indiscriminately from automatic weapons after entering a camp where the workers lived, between the towns of Teknaghat and Chabua.

"The labourers were hit by bullets as they tried to flee," he said.

Four workers died on the spot and one died on the way to hospital. Six others were injured, two seriously.

In recent months, the rebel group has suffered heavy reverses in military operations.

Some analysts say they may be resorting to attacks on soft targets just to show they are not a spent force.

The group has been pursuing an armed rebellion against what it terms colonial rule by Delhi since 1979.

An effort to start peace talks between the rebels and the Indian government fell through in 2006.