12 Maoist rebels killed in India shoot-out: Police

Twelve Maoist rebels have been killed in a gunbattle with police in a forest in an eastern Indian state known as a rebel stronghold, officers said yesterday, reports AFP from New Delhi.
They said firing erupted when police tried to intercept a group of suspected guerrillas whom they thought were heading to a village to extort money in Jharkhand state late Monday.
"They started firing when we tried to stop them," said Hemant Toppo, deputy inspector general of police in Palamu district where the incident occurred.
"We retaliated and 12 Naxals were killed in the exchange that lasted for almost an hour," he told AFP, using a local term for the Maoist rebels. Toppo said police have recovered the rebels' bodies along with guns and ammunition from the forest, which is 193 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of the state capital Ranchi.
"Some rebels also managed to escape into the nearby forest areas and our teams are now looking for them," he said.
India's long-running Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and has cost thousands of lives.
The rebels, described by former prime minister Manmohan Singh as India's most serious internal security threat, say they are fighting authorities for land, jobs and other rights for poor tribal groups. They are believed to be present in at least 20 Indian states but are most active in forested, resource-rich areas in the states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

12 Maoist rebels killed in India shoot-out: Police

Twelve Maoist rebels have been killed in a gunbattle with police in a forest in an eastern Indian state known as a rebel stronghold, officers said yesterday, reports AFP from New Delhi. They said firing erupted when police tried to intercept a group of suspected guerrillas whom they thought were heading to a village to extort money in Jharkhand state late Monday. They started firing when we tried to stop them, said Hemant Toppo, deputy inspector general of police in Palamu district where the incident occurred. We retaliated and 12 Naxals were killed in the exchange that lasted for almost an hour, he told AFP, using a local term for the Maoist rebels. Toppo said police have recovered the rebels bodies along with guns and ammunition from the forest, which is 193 kilometres (120 miles) northwest of the state capital Ranchi. Some rebels also managed to escape into the nearby forest areas and our teams are now looking for them, he said. Indias long-running Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and has cost thousands of lives. The rebels, described by former prime minister Manmohan Singh as Indias most serious internal security threat, say they are fighting authorities for land, jobs and other rights for poor tribal groups. They are believed to be present in at least 20 Indian states but are most active in forested, resource-rich areas in the states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.