Indian forces kill 31 Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh, 2 commandos also dead
\n RAIPUR, INDIA
\nIndian security forces killed at least 31 Maoist rebels on Sunday in one of the deadliest clashes since the government ramped up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency.
\nTwo Indian commandos were also killed in the battle, and two other security force members were wounded, police said.
\nMore than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency waged by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalised people in India\u2019s resource-rich central regions.
\n\u201cSo far 31 dead bodies of the Maoists have been recovered,\u201d senior police officer Sundarraj P. told AFP.
\n\u201cTwo security personnel are dead and two other security personnel are injured,\u201d he added.
\nReinforcements have been sent to the area, he said, warning that the toll could rise as the police carry out search operations.
\n\u201cAdditional forces have been rushed to the encounter site,\u201d he said.
\nPolice said they had seized assault rifles and grenade launchers from the bodies of the dead rebels.
\nThe gunfight broke in the forested areas of Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, considered the heartland of the insurgency.
\nThe rebels, also known as Naxalites after the district where their armed campaign began in 1967, were inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
\n\u201cThis is a big success in the direction of achieving a Naxal-free India,\u201d said Amit Shah, India\u2019s interior minister, who last year said the government expected to crush the rebellion by 2026.
\nShah repeated his vow to \u201ccompletely eradicate Naxalism\u201d.
\nA crackdown by security forces killed around 287 rebels last year, an overwhelming majority in Chhattisgarh, according to government data.
\nMore than 80 Maoists have been killed so far this year, according to a tally on Sunday by the Press Trust of India news agency. AFP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Indian forces kill 31 Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh, 2 commandos also dead RAIPUR, INDIA Indian security forces killed at least 31 Maoist rebels on Sunday in one of the deadliest clashes since the government ramped up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency. Two Indian commandos were also killed in the battle, and two other security […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":460832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-460803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n