India's Maoists kill 11 security personnel

[News_Editor]

India's Maoists kill 11 security personnel

2011-05-04 07:16:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

LOHARDAGA, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- Eleven Indian security personnel on Tuesday were killed in an ambush by suspected Maoists in India's Lohardaga district, the Times of India reported.

The Maoists ambushed a special task force, comprising the Central Reserve Police Force and district police, in Dhardharia hills. The rebels first triggered improvised explosive devices and then fired on the security personnel, killing eleven and wounding more than 20.

The encounter between Maoists and the police lasted for more than four hours since it took more than three hours for reinforcements to arrive. The team was following a tip-off about a rebel meeting, which turned out to be a trap for the police.

"The police had information that the Maoists were holding a meeting at Hurmu village on top of a hill, but when the police party comprising CRPF and district police reached the spot there was no sign of any Maoist movement," Inspector General R K Mallick said.

He added Maoists laid over 50 land mines in series in a radius of two kilometers (1.24 miles) on the road.

More than one-third of India's 626 administrative districts are affected by the Maoist insurgency. At least 1,170 rebels, troops and civilians were killed in insurgency-related incidents in 2010.

The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of tribal, landless and poor people in the country's poorest regions.

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