An official of the CRPF's Specialised CoBRA unit has been killed and seven other personnel injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a police official said on Sunday.

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off around 8.30 pm on Saturday in a forest near Aravraj Metta hills when a team of 206th battalion of the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and police was out on an anti-Naxal operation, he said.

No exchange of fire took place at the spot, which falls under the Chintagufa police station limits and is over 450 km from the state capital Raipur, the official said.

Eight commandos of the CRPF's elite unit were injured and later airlifted to a hospital in Raipur where Assistant Commandant Nitin P Bhalerao died during treatment, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said.

The deceased, belonging to CoBRA's 206th battalion, was a resident of Maharashtra's Nashik district, he said.

The seven other injured personnel were undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Raipur, he said.

"Initially, we had information that around five personnel suffered injuries, but later three more were found injured," the official said.&nbsp;

An official of the CRPF's Specialised CoBRA unit has been killed and seven other personnel injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a police official said on Sunday.

An official of the CRPF's Specialised CoBRA unit has been killed and seven other personnel injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, a police official said on Sunday. The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off around 8.30 pm on Saturday in a forest near Aravraj Metta hills when a team of 206th battalion of the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and police was out on an anti-Naxal operation, he said. No exchange of fire took place at the spot, which falls under the Chintagufa police station limits and is over 450 km from the state capital Raipur, the official said. Eight commandos of the CRPF's elite unit were injured and later airlifted to a hospital in Raipur where Assistant Commandant Nitin P Bhalerao died during treatment, Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said. The deceased, belonging to CoBRA's 206th battalion, was a resident of Maharashtra's Nashik district, he said. The seven other injured personnel were undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Raipur, he said. "Initially, we had information that around five personnel suffered injuries, but later three more were found injured," the official said.

CRPF commando killed, seven injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh

In the aftermath of the Naxal-led attack that killed nine CRPF personnel in Sukma on Tuesday, Chief Minister Raman Singh clarified that the improvised explosive device (IED) blast was carried out in retaliation to an encounter which took place last morning.

&quot;The background of this blast in Sukma is that the COBRA battalion held a successful encounter in the morning in which several Naxals were injured and weapons were recovered. This has left them perplexed, as we are reaching closer to their headquarters. This attack was carried out in fury,&quot; Singh told reporters here.

The chief minister revealed that although IED detection with the present technology is difficult, the forces and state police are working together to abolish the naxal base in the region.

Echoing a similar stance, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Ahir, assured that the government is strongly monitoring the situation along with intelligence agencies and the forces.

On Tuesday, nine personnel of the 212 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two severely injured in the IED blast.The CRPF jawans were conducting an operation in a forest in the district when the blast took place, ripping apart their Mine-Protected Vehicle (MPV).

Meanwhile, the wreath-laying ceremony of the nine jawans was held earlier this morning, where the two ministers paid their tributes to the slain soldiers.&nbsp;

Raman Singh revealed that although IED detection with the present technology is difficult, the forces and state police are working together to abolish the naxal base in the region

In the aftermath of the Naxal-led attack that killed nine CRPF personnel in Sukma on Tuesday, Chief Minister Raman Singh clarified that the improvised explosive device (IED) blast was carried out in retaliation to an encounter which took place last morning. "The background of this blast in Sukma is that the COBRA battalion held a successful encounter in the morning in which several Naxals were injured and weapons were recovered. This has left them perplexed, as we are reaching closer to their headquarters. This attack was carried out in fury," Singh told reporters here. The chief minister revealed that although IED detection with the present technology is difficult, the forces and state police are working together to abolish the naxal base in the region. Echoing a similar stance, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Ahir, assured that the government is strongly monitoring the situation along with intelligence agencies and the forces. On Tuesday, nine personnel of the 212 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two severely injured in the IED blast.The CRPF jawans were conducting an operation in a forest in the district when the blast took place, ripping apart their Mine-Protected Vehicle (MPV). Meanwhile, the wreath-laying ceremony of the nine jawans was held earlier this morning, where the two ministers paid their tributes to the slain soldiers.

Sukma attack undertaken in retaliation: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh

Suspected Maoist rebels today killed 10 paramilitary commandos in the eastern Indian state of Bihar after ambushing their convoy in a forested area and setting off a series of bombs, in one of of the deadliest attacks this year. 
 
The Maoist rebels detonated homemade bombs on Monday afternoon as members of an elite police unit, the Central Reserve Police Force were conducting an anti-Maoist operation in the dense forests.&nbsp; 
 
The force was responding to a tip-off that a group of rebels had gathered at the top of a hill in the remote forest in Aurangabad district bordering Jharkhand state, when they found themselves trapped at lower ground.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The police party had almost 100 troops. The first group got trapped in an area of land mines and there were serial blasts. The terrain is very difficult there and the extremists were on higher ground,&quot; detailed P.K. Thakur, the state&#39;s director general of police. 
 
The Maoists triggered improvised explosions were followed by a gun battle between the CRPF forces and the rebels that lasted well into the night.&nbsp; 
 
Thakur said eight police died on the spot in the ambush and two more men succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital. The five wounded officers were evacuated by helicopter. 
 
The CRPF gunned down at least three rebels in the subsequent gunfight before the Maoists fled deeper into the forests.&nbsp; 
 
Police and paramilitary reinforcements were rushed to the area but the operation was later called off.&nbsp; 
&quot;We called off the operation late at night as we suspect more mines were planted in the area,&quot; Saurabh Kumar, deputy inspector general of police in the region told. 
 
Police were investigating whether the commandos were drawn into the forest by a false tipoff about Maoist movements in the area. 
 
State struggles&nbsp;with decades of insurgency&nbsp; 
 
In December 2014, Maoists killed 13 police and wounded another 12 in an ambush in a remote part of Chhattisgarh. The troops were carrying out an operation deep in a forest when the gunmen attacked. 
 
Maoist insurgents seeking the violent overthrow of the Indian state have been fighting for decades, launching hit-and-run attacks against security forces from jungle camps across swathes of poor and rural central and eastern India. 
 
Tens of thousands of paramilitary troops and police are stationed in central and eastern India, fighting thousands of armed insurgents. 
 
The number of attacks has fallen in recent years but the Maoists, who say they are fighting to free the poor and landless from exploitation of their land, continue to enjoy some support among the poor and violence remains common. 
 
According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, left-wing extremist violence has left 236 people dead this year, almost the same as for the whole of 2015. Almost half of the dead have been killed in mineral-rich Chhattisgarh. 
 
The Maoist rebels claim to be fighting for jobs, land and other rights for mainly tribal minorities who suffer grinding poverty. 
 
The rebels regularly launch attacks on security personnel in dozens of districts in the so-called &quot;Red Corridor&quot; which stretches through the country. 
 
The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives, and the government describes it as the country&#39;s most serious internal security threat.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The country's Maoist insurgency has claimed thousands of lives and the government describes it as the most serious internal security threat

Suspected Maoist rebels today killed 10 paramilitary commandos in the eastern Indian state of Bihar after ambushing their convoy in a forested area and setting off a series of bombs, in one of of the deadliest attacks this year. The Maoist rebels detonated homemade bombs on Monday afternoon as members of an elite police unit, the Central Reserve Police Force were conducting an anti-Maoist operation in the dense forests. The force was responding to a tip-off that a group of rebels had gathered at the top of a hill in the remote forest in Aurangabad district bordering Jharkhand state, when they found themselves trapped at lower ground. "The police party had almost 100 troops. The first group got trapped in an area of land mines and there were serial blasts. The terrain is very difficult there and the extremists were on higher ground," detailed P.K. Thakur, the state's director general of police. The Maoists triggered improvised explosions were followed by a gun battle between the CRPF forces and the rebels that lasted well into the night. Thakur said eight police died on the spot in the ambush and two more men succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital. The five wounded officers were evacuated by helicopter. The CRPF gunned down at least three rebels in the subsequent gunfight before the Maoists fled deeper into the forests. Police and paramilitary reinforcements were rushed to the area but the operation was later called off. "We called off the operation late at night as we suspect more mines were planted in the area," Saurabh Kumar, deputy inspector general of police in the region told. Police were investigating whether the commandos were drawn into the forest by a false tipoff about Maoist movements in the area. State struggles with decades of insurgency In December 2014, Maoists killed 13 police and wounded another 12 in an ambush in a remote part of Chhattisgarh. The troops were carrying out an operation deep in a forest when the gunmen attacked. Maoist insurgents seeking the violent overthrow of the Indian state have been fighting for decades, launching hit-and-run attacks against security forces from jungle camps across swathes of poor and rural central and eastern India. Tens of thousands of paramilitary troops and police are stationed in central and eastern India, fighting thousands of armed insurgents. The number of attacks has fallen in recent years but the Maoists, who say they are fighting to free the poor and landless from exploitation of their land, continue to enjoy some support among the poor and violence remains common. According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, left-wing extremist violence has left 236 people dead this year, almost the same as for the whole of 2015. Almost half of the dead have been killed in mineral-rich Chhattisgarh. The Maoist rebels claim to be fighting for jobs, land and other rights for mainly tribal minorities who suffer grinding poverty. The rebels regularly launch attacks on security personnel in dozens of districts in the so-called "Red Corridor" which stretches through the country. The insurgency has claimed thousands of lives, and the government describes it as the country's most serious internal security threat. (AFP)

Maoist ambush in east India kills 10 police commandos

cobra-battalion

Cobra Battalion, News on Cobra Battalion, stories on Cobra Battalion, articles on Cobra Battalion, Cobra Battalion stories at Wion, Cobra Battalion news, Cobra Battalion latest news

cobra battalion

CRPF commando killed, seven injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh

Sukma attack undertaken in retaliation: Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh

Maoist ambush in east India kills 10 police commandos