Chhattisgarh: 12 Maoists killed in encounter with security forces
Security forces, including DRG and CoBRA units, engaged Maoists in a prolonged gunfight in Bijapur; no security personnel were injured
As many as 12 Maoists were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Thursday (January 16), a senior police official said.
The gunfight broke out at around 9 am in a forest of south Bijapur when a joint team of security personnel was out an anti-Maoist operation and the intermittent exchange of fire lasted till late in the evening, he said.
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CoBRA, CRPF led operation
Personnel belonging to the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) from three districts, five battalions of CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action -- an elite jungle warfare unit of the CRPF) and the 229th battalion of CRPF were involved in the operation, he said.
"As per preliminary information, 12 Maoists were killed in the gunfight. Further details were awaited as a search operation was still underway in the area," the official informed.
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No security personnel hurt
No harm was reported to security forces, he said.
With this, 26 Maoists have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this month.
