RAIPUR: Indian security forces shot dead five Maoist insurgents Tuesday, police said, the latest clash in a decades-long conflict.
Gun battles took place in the central state of Chhattisgarh, where the insurgents, known as Naxalites, have been carrying out guerrilla attacks since 1967.
India has deployed tens of thousands of security personnel to battle the Maoist rebels across the insurgent-dominated “Red Corridor”, which stretches across central, southern and eastern states.
Officers launched an attack on a hideout of the rebels in the dense Kohkameta forest of the Narayanpur district, senior police officer P. Sunderraj told AFP.
“At least five Maoists were shot dead in the encounter…several Maoists were also injured”, Sunderraj said, adding there were no injuries among the police.
Rebel operations have shrunk considerably over the past decade.
India has also pumped millions of dollars into infrastructure development in remote areas and claims to have confined the insurgency to 45 districts in 2023, down from 96 in 2010.
