Bijapur: Five security personnel were killed and twelve others injured on Saturday in an encounter with Naxals at a forest in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, a top police officer said.
"Separate joint teams of security forces, over 2,000 in number, had launched a major anti-Naxal operation from Bijapur and Sukma districts in the South Bastar forests, considered as the Maoist stronghold, on Friday night," state's Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) OP Pal said.
The personnel belonging to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Special Task Force (STF) were involved in the operation launched from five places - Tarrem, Usoor and Pamed (Bijapur) and Minpa and Narsapuram (Sukma), he said.
"At around 12 noon on Saturday, an encounter broke out between the patrolling team that was dispatched from Tarrem and ultras belonging PLGA (Peoples' Liberation Guerilla Army) battalion of Maoists near Jonaguda village under Jagargunda police station area (in Sukma)," Pal said, adding the gunfight lasted for about three hours.
"Of the martyred personnel, one belonged to the CoBRA unit and two each are from the DRG and the 'Bastariya' battalion of the CRPF," the DIG said.
He said a woman Naxal was also gunned down in the encounter.
Citing the "ground report", Pal claimed that Maoists have suffered a huge loss in the gunfight.