At least 12 Maoist rebels killed by India’s security forces

Al Jazeera:

At least 12 Maoist rebels have been killed by Indian security forces as New Delhi steps up efforts to quell the long-running rebellion.

Police said on Friday that the operation broke out on Thursday in the forested areas of Bijapur district in the state of Chhattisgarh, known as the heartland of the rebellion.

“We have received information of the killing of 12 Maoists in encounters with the security forces,” senior police official Sundarraj P told the AFP news agency. India’s Hindustan Times news outlet placed the death toll at 17, adding that at least 3,000 police personnel were involved in the operation since Wednesday night.

Last week, police in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district also killed at least three Maoist rebels, including a reported explosive expert suspected of being responsible for the deaths of several security personnel, according to The Indian Express newspaper.

Last year, India’s Interior Minister Amit Shah said the government expected to crush the rebellion by 2026.