Over 15 Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district

More than 15 Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces on Wednesday in the forests of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district bordering Telangana where a massive counter-insurgency operation is underway, a senior police official said. The gunfight broke out this morning in Karregutta hills forest along the inter-state border, he said. So far, more than 15 Naxalites have been killed and the operation continues, he said. The ongoing Operation Sankalp, said to be one of the biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in Bastar region, involves around 24,000 security personnel belonging to different units including District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), all units of state police, Central reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA. The operation was launched on April 21 based on inputs about the presence of senior cadres of battalion no. 1, the strongest military formation of Maoists, and Telangana state committee of Maoists.