Roadside Bomb Attack by Indian Maoists Kills Nine Troops
Roadside Bomb Attack by Indian Maoists Kills Nine Troops
On Monday, nine members of the security forces were slain by Indian Maoist guerrillas who detonated a roadside bomb that threw their vehicle into the air, according to police.The explosion caused a deep crater to be ripped into the road, as evidenced by photographs published by Indian media.
In the decades-long insurgency that the rebels have conducted, over 10,000 individuals have lost their lives. The rebels claim that they are fighting for the rights of marginalized indigenous people in the resource-rich central regions of India.Official figures indicate that the government has intensified its efforts to suppress the protracted armed conflict, with approximately 287 rebels being slain in 2024.
The attack on Monday in the central state of Chhattisgarh occurred as soldiers were returning from an anti-Maoist operation on Saturday, during which four rebels and a police officer were slain.“The vehicle in which they were traveling collided with a landmine, resulting in the deaths of eight security forces and a driver,” stated Vivekanand Sinha, the commander of the state police’s anti-Maoist operations.The insurgents, who were also referred to as Naxalites after the district where their armed campaign commenced in 1967, were motivated by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
In 2024, approximately 1,000 suspected Naxalites were apprehended, and 837 of them surrendered.In September, Amit Shah, the interior minister of India, warned the Maoist rebels that they would either surrender or face an “all-out” assault. He stated that the government anticipated eradicating the insurgency by early 2026.The movement experienced a surge in strength and numbers until the early 2000s when New Delhi deployed tens of thousands of security personnel to combat the insurgents in a region referred to as the “Red Corridor.”
In recent years, the insurgency has been significantly curbed in the region. To neutralize the Naxalite appeal, authorities have allocated millions of dollars to social initiatives and local infrastructure.
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