11 die in battle in remote part of India

An intense gun battle between two militant groups left 11 people dead in India’s remote north-eastern state of Manipur, police said.

Rebels belonging to the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak, or Prepak, were killed after being attacked by a rival militant group in the state’s Bishenpur district, said Manipur’s deputy police chief Joykumar Singh.

At least 17 guerrilla groups demanding either independence or more autonomy have been fighting Indian security forces for nearly four decades in the remote north-eastern Indian state bordering Myanmar.

A security official in Imphal said 19 Prepak militants were travelling in two jeeps when they were attacked by rivals near Kumbi, about 60 miles southeast of Imphal.