New Delhi  - At least six separatist rebels were killed on Tuesday in combat with the Indian army in the restive north-eastern state of Assam, a news report said.

A defence spokesman said the militants of the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland were shot dead early on Tuesday by the army near the Donghap village in the Karbi Anglong district, some 290 kilometres east of state capital Guwahati, the IANS news agency reported.

"Based on specific intelligence about the presence of six to eight NDFB militants, soldiers of the Red Horns Division launched an operation in the area and were able to eliminate six of them following a long firefight between the two sides," army spokesman Rajesh Kalia told IANS.

The official said a few of the militants were able to escape taking cover in the darkness as the operation took place before dawn.

Local police said the guerrillas were in the area to carry out strikes and extort money from villagers.

Guns and explosives, including grenades and gelatine sticks, were recovered from the dead rebels.

The NDFB is a rebel group fighting for a separate homeland for the Bodo tribe in Assam since 1996, although the outfit had reached a ceasefire with the Indian government since 2005.

Despite the ceasefire, state authorities have often accused the group of violating the truce and indulging in violence.

India's north-east, which shares borders with China, Myanmar and Bangladesh, is a volatile region where nearly 40 separatist, tribal or leftist groups are active in five states.

More than 15,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the region in the past decade.(dpa)