Militant attack kills 7 policemen in UP

LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) - Heavily armed suspected Islamist militants attacked a central police camp in Rampur town in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, killing seven policemen during New Year celebrations, authorities said.

One civilian was also killed in the pre-dawn attack in Rampur, about 200 km east of New Delhi.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack.

The gunmen shot dead the camp sentry before storming it and opening fire with automatic rifles, said J.N. Chamber, the state's home secretary.

The policemen returned fire and the attackers fled after a brief gunbattle, he said, adding that one of them was suspected to be wounded.

"This is a very serious warning for us as this is the first time that such an organised attack has been witnessed against security forces," Chamber told Reuters.

Additional forces were rushed to the area to hunt the attackers, police said, adding that they could have slipped into neighbouring Uttarakhand through the thick jungles around Rampur.

Uttar Pradesh is being increasingly hit by attacks blamed on militant groups based in Pakistan and fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, or their local Muslim recruits or collaborators in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Tuesday's attack was considered rare as in the past militant groups have targeted police and army camps in Kashmir and the insurgency-hit northeastern states.