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GUWAHATI, India, Dec 1 (Reuters) - At least eight people, including three soldiers, were killed on Sunday when villagers attacked troops on patrol in India's northeastern Assam state, a senior police official said.

Assam's Inspector General of Police, Siba Brata Kakati, told Reuters that five civilians and three soldiers had been killed in the clash at Hajo village about 15 km (9 miles) west of the state's main city, Guwahati.

"I think there was a misunderstanding between troops and villagers in that area that lead to the violence," said Kakati, adding that the soldiers were on a routine anti-insurgency patrol.

But a police officer at Hajo said villagers had mistaken the soldiers for robbers and attacked them with sharp weapons.

"Three soldiers died when the villagers hacked them with hatchets. The troops then fired at the attackers killing five of them on the spot," said the police official, who did not want to be identified.

Assam, one of India's seven northeastern states, is rich in oil and tea. It has been plagued by separatist and tribal insurgency for the past 20 years. 

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