Rebels kill 4 Indian policemen near border with Myanmar

GAUHATI, India — Heavily armed rebels on Thursday killed four Indian police officers in an ambush on a highway they were guarding hours before the visit of the top elected official of an insurgency-wracked northeastern state, police said.

Another three officers were wounded in the attack in Lokchao area in Manipur state close to India’s border with Myanmar, according to the police control room.

Manipur state Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh postponed his visit to the region following the attack. Last month, Singh escaped unhurt after shots were fired at him and his entourage as he was getting out of his helicopter at the Ukhrul helipad in a nearby district.

On Thursday, the militants opened fire on the police patrol with assault rifles, killing one officer on the spot. Another three wounded officers died in a hospital later, police said. An exchange of gunfire lasted several hours in the region, 70 kilometres (45 miles) south of the state capital Imphal.