Seven killed in ambush by Naxals in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: Seven persons, including six jawans of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), were killed tonight in an ambush by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district. The jawans, including a head constable and five constables, were on patrol duty guarding the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) facility in Kirandul when armed Naxals ambushed them with heavy gunfire at around 0930 PM. [caption id=“attachment_308011” align=“alignright” width=“380” caption=“The Maoists escaped with the ammunition that the CISF personnel were carrying. Reuters”]  [/caption]“Six CISF men and a civilian driver have been killed. Additional forces have been rushed to the spot,” Chhattisgarh ADGP (anti-naxal operations) Ram Nivas told PTI. He said that an unknown number of jawans are reportedly injured in the ambush and are being rescued from the spot. The jawans, onboard a Bolero vehicle being driven by a civilian driver, were killed after a brief retaliation. The security personnel were outnumbered. The Kirandul-Bacheli mines of the NMDC in the jungles of Dantewada are a Naxal hotbed and frequent clashes between the Naxals and the security forces are regular in the area. Official sources said that five AK-47 rifles, one INSAS gun and a large quantity of ammunition belonging to the CISF were looted by the Naxals after they killed the jawans. Senior officials at CISF headquarters in Delhi and at Raipur said they were trying to ascertain details of the incident. PTI