Encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh: 26 Maoists killed

RAIPUR: 26 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh. The clash took place today morning in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, where the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel engaged in a gunfight with Maoists from the Abujhmarh region.

Acting on intelligence reports about the presence of a Maoist leader hiding in the Abujmarh area, DRG personnel from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Kondagaon launched a search operation. It was during this operation that the Maoists launched an attack. The Abujhmarh region, where the encounter occurred, is a forested area larger than the Indian state of Goa.

The latest encounter in Narayanpur comes after a recent anti-Naxal operation named 'Black Forest,' which was conducted last month along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border. Although the operation was called off after 21 days, top military officials had confirmed that several senior Maoist leaders and members of their armed wing, the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army, were killed. On April 21, security forces launched the operation following intelligence reports that top Maoist leaders, including Madvi Hidma, and commanders were spotted in the Karregutta hills. A total of 31 Maoists, including a 16-year-old, were killed in that operation according to reports.