A string of terrorist strikes in India's turbulent northeast killed 59 people and wounded close to 200 over the past two days, including at least 10 people who died on Sunday in eight blasts in Assam, according to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS).

Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil, who rushed to the northeast Sunday to assess the situation, called for a permanent solution to end insurgency and decided to appoint a "nodal officer" to coordinate and liase with security agencies involved in counter-insurgency operations.

A police spokesman said there were eight explosions in Assam Sunday, mostly in crowded markets. Some 81 people were injured in these attacks.

In the adjoining state of Nagaland, three powerful bomb blasts Saturday in the state's commercial hub Dimapur killed 28 people.

A powerful explosion occurred Sunday at a crowded fish market in Bijni town in Chirang district, 220 km from Assam's main city of Guwahati, at 6.45 p.m.

"Three people died on the spot and more than 30 were wounded in the attack," a police official said. Details of the incident were awaited.

The official said the area is known to be a stronghold of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), a rebel group fighting for an independent homeland for Bodo tribals.

Around the same time, another powerful blast ripped through a market in Gauripur town in Dhubri district, 290 km from Guwahati. "Two people died and 15 more were injured, some of them seriously," the official said.

In another blast, an Indian Army convoy had a narrow escape when a landmine triggered by suspected United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants missed the target near Talap in Tinsukia district.

"The blast occurred moments after the convoy crossed the area,"a police official said.

Three NDFB militants were killed when an explosive device they were planting exploded in northern Assam's Darrang district Sunday,police said.

In another incident, unidentified militants lobbed a grenade at Dhekiajuli market in northern Assam's Sonitpur district, 180 km from Guwahati, at 10.30 a.m.

"The market was teeming with people when the grenade blast occurred killing one person and wounding 16 others," a police official said.

Earlier Sunday morning, a landmine explosion blew up a gas pipeline at Borhat tea garden in Sibasagar district. "The gas pipeline passed through the tea garden and the blast sparked a big fire that leapt 20 meters from the ground," a police official said.

There were two more blasts in Gossaigaon and Baska areas in Assam wounding some 20 people.

The NDBF Sunday claimed responsibility for the killing of 14 shoppers Saturday in Dhubri district of Assam. The NDFB is celebrating its 18th foundation day Sunday and police officials say the outfit was staging the attacks to make its presence felt.

"We need to look for a long term solution to bring an end to insurgency in the region. The attacks are nothing but acts of desperation and we shall take strong measures to curb such inhumane incidents," Patil said after visiting the injured and blasts sites in Dimapur.

Earlier in the day, he held a high-level meeting with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, besides top civil, police and army officials at Guwahati airport.

Patil decided to appoint a "nodal officer" to coordinate and liase with various security agencies for counter-insurgency operations. "This new strategy will help in better coordination among the states to curb insurgency in the region," he said duringhis meeting with Gogoi.

"We cannot allow seven years of peace in Nagaland to be disturbed and we shall definitely find out the groups responsible for the attacks in the region," Patil said, referring to a truce in place in Nagaland since August 1997.

Patil is making a night halt in Dimapur and is expected to visit Assam Monday to make an assessment of the security situationin the state.

The bombs in Dimapur exploded virtually simultaneously at the railway station and in two markets in what was described by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio as the "worst ever terrorist strike" in the history of the mountainous Christian majority stateof a little under two million people.

Hundreds of Christians in Nagaland held special prayers Sunday to mourn the 28 blast victims.

At least 30 insurgent groups in the northeast are pushing demands ranging from independent homelands to autonomy within the nation.

More than 50,000 people have lost their lives to insurgency in the northeast since India's independence in 1947.

Source: Xinhua