- Photos show a deep pothole on the road.
- More than 10,000 people have been killed in the decades-long insurgency.
- Naxals inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader.
RAIPUR, India: Indian Maoist guerrillas killed nine members of the security forces on Monday when a roadside bomb blew up their vehicle, police said.
In the pictures published by the Indian media, it can be seen that the explosion left a deep hole on the road.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in a decades-long insurgency by the rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of marginalized indigenous people in India’s resource-rich central region.
Government forces have stepped up efforts to quell the long-running armed conflict, with some 287 rebels killed in 2024, according to official figures.
Monday’s attack occurred in the central state of Chhattisgarh as troops were returning from an anti-Maoist operation on Saturday, in which four rebels and a police officer were killed.
“Security forces and a driver were killed today when the vehicle they were traveling in came into contact with a landmine,” said Vivekananda Sinha, head of state police’s anti-Maoist operations.
The rebels, also known as Naxalites after the district where their armed campaign began in 1967, were inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
During 2024, about 1000 suspected Naxalites were arrested and 837 surrendered.
In September, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah warned Maoist rebels to surrender or face an “all-out” attack, saying the government expected to crush the insurgency by early 2026.
The movement gained strength and numbers by the early 2000s when New Delhi deployed tens of thousands of security personnel against insurgents in the area known as the “Red Corridor”.
In recent years, insurgency in the region has been largely curtailed.
Since then, authorities have invested millions of dollars in local infrastructure and social projects to counter the appeal of the Naxalites.