13 March 2017

News Report: Maoist Insurgents Kill 11 Indian Armed Police in Chhattisgarh State

At least 11 Indian security forces personnel were killed in a Naxalite insurgent attack in the south of the central state of Chhattisgarh, local media said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Maoist rebels opened fire on a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) patrol in the state's Sukma district, The Times of India newspaper reported, citing police officials.

Earlier reports said, quoting Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh, that the death toll was nine.

The attackers reportedly seized almost a dozen weapons from those killed alongside two radio sets.

The patrol was on a road opening mission to secure a stretch of road running through dense forests.

The Maoists, widely known as the Naxalites or the Naxals, have been fighting the Indian government since the 1960s and currently operate in a number of central and eastern states, including Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. The armed far-left groups conduct guerrilla warfare while hiding in some of India's densest forests, targeting security forces and government officials.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.