RAIPUR: Nine Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the forested terrain along the inter-district border of Dantewada and Bijapur in south Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, according to Bastar police.Acting on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists from the West Bastar division in the area, a joint team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a search operation.”A fierce gunfight ensued at around 10:30 am between the security forces and the Maoists during the operation. Nine bodies of armed rebels in uniform, along with the weapons, have been recovered from the site. The intermittent firing still continues while the search operation in the region remains underway,” the police stated.There have been no reports of any injuries sustained by the forces. A large quantity of weapons, including a Self-Loading Rifle, .303 Rifle, and .315 Bore Rifle, along with other items belonging to the Maoists, have been recovered. Further details are awaited.This encounter is part of the ongoing strategy to free the conflict-ridden Bastar zone from the influence of the banned outfit CPI (Maoist). So far, 156 Maoists have been neutralized by security forces this year in Chhattisgarh, with 154 killed in the Bastar zone and the remaining two in Dhamtari district.
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