1 killed, 5 injured in Assam train attack
The militants fired at the Arunachal Express as the train arrived at Khoirabari railway station.
Heavily armed militants attacked a passenger train in Assam, killing a paramilitary soldier and critically wounding five, including three passengers, officials said on Sunday.
The militants fired at the Arunachal Express as the train arrived at Khoirabari railway station, about 70 km north of Assam's main city of Guwahati, late on Saturday.
"A Railway Protection Force guard was killed and five others, including two security men and three passengers, seriously injured when militants fired on the waiting train," said K Sharma, a senior police official. The militants fled the scene after firing for about five minutes.
"There was no power at the railway station when the incident took place. The militants fled the scene under cover of darkness," he said.
The inter-state train left with the injured passengers for the next station where they were taken to a local hospital.
Police blamed the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for the attack. The ULFA is also suspected of planting a bomb on a railway track in the state on Friday. The explosive was discovered by paramilitary troopers minutes before a passenger train was to cross the area.
"The ULFA is working hard to target vital installations, including trains and oil facilities," another police official said.
The ULFA is fighting for an independent Assamese homeland since 1979. The army is engaged in a massive military operation against the ULFA after the government last month called off a ceasefire blaming the outfit of stepping up attacks and extortions.
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