Scores of Indian soldiers killed in Maoist ambushes Skip to main content

Scores of Indian soldiers killed in Maoist ambushes

Troops haunting for Maoist rebels
The government has launched a major offensive against the rebels
Maoist rebels have killed at least 72 Indian soldiers in a series of attacks on security convoys in the central state of Chhattisgarh, officials say.
Troops were on patrol in dense jungle in a remote part of Dantewada district when rebels opened fire on them and set off explosives, police say.

Rescue teams were also ambushed. Police say fighting is continuing.
It is the biggest loss of life security forces have suffered since launching a recent offensive against the rebels.
Nearly 50,000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen are taking part in the operation in several states.
Thousands of people have died during the rebels' 20-year fight for communist rule in large swathes of rural India, known as the "red corridor".
'Trap'
Details of the attacks in Dantewada district remain sketchy.
ANALYSIS
Soutik Biswas
By Soutik Biswas
BBC News, Delhi

The attack on troops in Chhattisgarh is the deadliest since they began their latest anti-Maoist operation.
Although details are still sketchy, it is clear it will not be easy for the security forces to defeat the rebels in their strongholds - vast swathes of remote mineral-rich jungles home to tribespeople who form the main support base for the rebels.
Questions have been asked about levels of intelligence and whether security forces are trained to operate in such hostile terrain.
The attack is also a blow to the government - it comes days after Home Minister P Chidambaram described the rebels as "cowards enacting dramas". With the prospect of dialogue unlikely, it appears the government is in for a long and difficult war.
Police say the rebels initially attacked a convoy of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Talmetla area.
However, India's Home Minister P Chidambaram said it appeared that the forces had "walked" into a rebel ambush.
"Something has gone very wrong. They seem to have walked into a trap set by the [Maoists] and casualties are quite high," he said.
RK Vij, a spokesman for the CRPF, told the BBC that 67 bodies of security personnel had been recovered from the site of the fighting.
"The injured troops have been evacuated by helicopter. More reinforcements have been sent," Mr Vij said.
The rebels also attacked troops sent to rescue their colleagues, police said.
"Fighting is still carrying on in the area, and we're having great difficulty getting news from there," police official Ashok Dwivedi told the Reuters news agency from Chhattisgarh state capital, Raipur.
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says Chhattisgarh is a major stronghold of the Maoists whbo control large swathes of territory in central and eastern India.
Talks call
chhattisgarh
The latest attacks come two days after rebels killed at least 10 policemen and injured 10 more in a landmine attack on a police bus in the eastern state of Orissa.
The rebels say they will step up attacks unless the government halts its offensive against them.
Mr Chidambaram has said troops will intensify the offensive if the rebels do not renounce violence and enter peace talks.
The Maoists want four senior leaders freed from jail and the offensive halted before any talks.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as India's "greatest internal security challenge".
The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of the rural poor who they say have been neglected by governments for decades.

BBC NEWS

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f