NEW DELHI, Oct. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The toll in the ethnic violence in Karbi Anglong district of Assam in northeast India rose to 31 Monday after five tribal villagers were killed and 90 homes torched by rival tribesmen, according to Indo-Asian News Service Monday.

    The latest attacks took place in the eastern Karbi Anglong district even as local authorities called in the army Monday to quell the violence between the Dimasa and the majority Karbi tribes in the region.

    A police spokesman said about 80 armed Karbi tribal people attacked village Kheroni, 290 km east of the pradesh capital Guwahati.

    "Five Dimasa tribal villagers, including two women, were killed when the mob armed with sophisticated weapons opened random fire after asking the people to come out of their houses," Indo-Asian News Service quoted a local police as saying.

    The rampaging mob then set ablaze about 90 houses before leaving the village.

    The Indian army was called in to quell the violence. Local police said Indian army soldiers were patrolling the violence-hit areas and staging flag marches to restore order.

    The attack was in retaliation to a week-long violence in which suspected Dimasa militants belonging to the outlawed Dima Halom Daoga (DHD) killed at least 26 Karbi villagers in separate incidents.

    On Sunday night, suspected DHD rebels slit the throats of nine members of the Karbi tribe in two separate incidents and set ablaze around 250 homes. In retaliation, Karbi tribesmen burnt down 50 houses of the rival tribe.

    The DHD is a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland for the Dimasa tribe in eastern Assam. The Karbi and the Dimasa tribes have been engaged in a bitter turf war for many years with both the ethnic groups fighting for territorial supremacy. Enditem