Online
\nNew Delhi
\nPolice in India\u2019s western state of Maharashtra have killed at least 26 Maoist militants, including a top leader, in an ambush operation in dense forest, a top government official said on Sunday.
\nThe Maoists, also known as Naxals, have waged an armed struggle against government forces for decades. Militants of the extreme left-wing insurgent movement say they are fighting for the poor who have been left behind in India\u2019s economic boom.
\n\u201c26 Naxals, including six women were killed in Gadchiroli district. Milind Teltumbde, a central committee member, was also killed on Saturday,\u201d Dilip Valse Patil, Maharashtra\u2019s Home Minister told reporters.
\nSaturday\u2019s operation took place in Gadchiroli district, on the border between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states, around 1,000 km (600 miles) east of Mumbai.
\nThe encounter between police and militants lasted for nearly ten hours, said Ankit Goyal, Gadchiroli\u2019s Superintendent of Police.
\n\u201cWe had inputs that Naxals were camped in the forest. When special forces raided the area the Naxalities started firing on security forces and in retaliation the security forced engaged in the firing,\u201d he said.
\nThe Maoists, considered India\u2019s biggest internal security threat, operate in mineral-rich territory in the east and south of the country known as the \u201cred corridor,\u201d which has shrunk in recent years because of heavy operations against them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Online New Delhi Police in India\u2019s western state of Maharashtra have killed at least 26 Maoist militants, including a top leader, in an ambush operation in dense forest, a top government official said on Sunday. The Maoists, also known as Naxals, have waged an armed struggle against government forces for decades. Militants of the extreme […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n