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26 paramilitary troops killed in attack
NEW DELHI, (UPI) -- Maoists in India, in another deadly rampage, ambushed a reserve police unit in east-central Chhattisgarh state, killing 26 officers, authorities said.
The ambush on the Central Reserve Police Force in Narayanpur district was the third major one since the April 6 Maoist attack in which 76 members of the unit were killed in the Dantewada district in the same state, one of the worst-affected by Maoist violence in recent years.
In Tuesday's incident, the police officers were attacked as they were returning from a road-clearing operation, authorities said, adding the victims were gunned down.
Police force official Vijay Raman told the Times of India 26 police officers had been confirmed dead and another five injured, but warned the death toll could go up.
The attack occurred about 2 miles from a police camp on a road leading to the densely forested Maoist-controlled Abhujhmad area, the report said.
The Press Trust of India, quoting police officials, reported the Maoists, also called Naxalites, began firing from a hilltop as the men were returning.
In other recent incidents, Maoists blew up a vehicle May 8, killing eight men of the paramilitary force. Nine days later, the rebels attacked a bus in Dantewada, killing 36 people including 12 police officers.
Indian leaders consider violence by the Maoists, who claim to be fighting for the tribal people and the landless, the gravest internal-security threat.
NEW DELHI, (UPI) -- Maoists in India, in another deadly rampage, ambushed a reserve police unit in east-central Chhattisgarh state, killing 26 officers, authorities said.
The ambush on the Central Reserve Police Force in Narayanpur district was the third major one since the April 6 Maoist attack in which 76 members of the unit were killed in the Dantewada district in the same state, one of the worst-affected by Maoist violence in recent years.
In Tuesday's incident, the police officers were attacked as they were returning from a road-clearing operation, authorities said, adding the victims were gunned down.
Police force official Vijay Raman told the Times of India 26 police officers had been confirmed dead and another five injured, but warned the death toll could go up.
The attack occurred about 2 miles from a police camp on a road leading to the densely forested Maoist-controlled Abhujhmad area, the report said.
The Press Trust of India, quoting police officials, reported the Maoists, also called Naxalites, began firing from a hilltop as the men were returning.
In other recent incidents, Maoists blew up a vehicle May 8, killing eight men of the paramilitary force. Nine days later, the rebels attacked a bus in Dantewada, killing 36 people including 12 police officers.
Indian leaders consider violence by the Maoists, who claim to be fighting for the tribal people and the landless, the gravest internal-security threat.
