Bijapur: At least 12 Maoists were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday, police said. The firing began around 9 am when a joint team of security personnel was conducting an anti-Naxal operation in the South Bijapur forest area and the gunfight continued till late in the evening, a senior police officer said. According to preliminary information, 12 Naxals were killed in the gunfight, he said. We are awaiting further details as search operations are still going on in the area.
He said that District Reserve Group (DRG) forces of the state police from three districts, five CoBRA (Resolute Action Commando Battalion – an elite forest warfare unit of the CRPF) and 229th battalion of the CRPF were involved in the operation.
There were no reports of any casualties among security forces, he said.
So far, 26 Maoists have been killed in separate clashes in the state this month.
On January 12, five Maoists, including two women, were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Madded police station area of Bijapur district.
