At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a clash with Indian military personnel in central India, the Associated Press reported , quoted by BTA, referring to a police statement.
The fighting erupted yesterday when counter-insurgency troops, acting on intelligence, surrounded and cornered nearly 50 suspected insurgents in the Abhujmaad forest area on the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh state, the Inspector General of Police said. of Patilingam Sundaraj State.
Sundaraj said that the specialized operation started as early as Thursday and the clash started the next day and lasted for about nine hours. He said search operations were continuing in the area and that soldiers had seized some weapons and ammunition, including automatic weapons. There are no reports of casualties among the soldiers.
India's army has been battling Maoist insurgents in several central and northern states since 1967, when the militants, also known as Naxalites, launched an insurgency demanding more jobs, land and natural resources for impoverished indigenous communities in the country. The insurgents were inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
Years of neglect have isolated much of the local rural communities, who face a lack of jobs, schools and health clinics, leaving them open to the insurgents' tempting offers. The rebels speak the same tribal languages as many of the local villagers and vow to fight for a better future, especially in Chhattisgarh, one of India's poorest states despite vast reserves of natural resources, AP notes.
/LM/
Source: www.bta.bg