The task of detecting and de-mining IEDs has grown increasingly daunting. Between 2001 and 2010, 938 IEDs were recovered, a number that more than doubled to over 2,000 during 2011-2020. Between 2020 and 2024, security forces have detected 1,122 IEDs as part of Maoists’ counter-offensive tactics.Security experts revealed that Maoists received initial training in the 1980s and 1990s from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of Sri Lanka. Despite advancements in technology, there has been little significant progress in detecting IEDs, making human involvement critical in identifying and neutralizing these threats.“The Maoists formally train every recruit in manufacturing and planting IEDs. The use of IEDs is inhuman and violates international conventions for two reasons: it causes excessive suffering, which breaches the laws of humanity, and it indiscriminately targets anyone, without distinction,” said R.K. Vij, retired Special DG, who has extensive experience working in Maoist-affected regions of Chhattisgarh.
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