Military says kills 7 Islamist militants in Assam

GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - Indian troops killed at least seven heavily armed militants from a Bangladesh-based Islamist group in a gunbattle in Assam on Friday, a military spokesman said.

India's military said the militants were from the Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HuJI) group and had sneaked into Indian territory in Dhubri district, close to the border, from Bangladesh.

"They were to meet with another group of HuJI which is already stationed in Guwahati planning for several blasts," a defence ministry statement said on Friday.

Guwahati, with a population of more than a million people, is the biggest city in the country's remote northeast.

Ringed by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, the region is home to more than 200 tribes and has been racked by separatist revolts since India gained independence from Britain in 1947.

Indian authorities have blamed HuJI militants for a string of attacks in recent years, including the bombings of temples and street markets.

Soldiers recovered seven automatic pistols, three radio sets, and a large quantity of explosives, the ministry said.