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Eight jawans and a driver were killed in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district when Maoists used an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to blow up their vehicle. The nine were returning from an operation when the IED blew up the Scorpio SUV at Kutru in the Bastar region around 2.15 pm.
Earlier today, security forces attacked Maoists in the Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh and killed five rebels, including two women. Automatic weapons such as AK 47 and Self-Loading Rifles have been recovered. It was this operation that the jawans were returning from when the rebels targeted them.
The eight security personnel belonged to the District Reserve Guard, a specialised police unit set up to tackle Maoism in the state. Visuals showed a massive crater at the spot, suggesting the intensity of the IED blast that killed the jawans.
The Maoist attack comes against the backdrop of security forces making deep inroads into the Maoist-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh and cornering the rebels.
Mahesh Kashyap, BJP MP from Bastar, described the attack as "cowardly". "Our jawans are eliminating Maoists. So they have carried out this unfortunate attack out of desperation. I offer my condolences to the families of the jawans killed in this incident. Our government is committed to clearing Bastar of Maoists by 2026. We will avenge our jawans," he said.