The ongoing operation, said to be one of the biggest counter-insurgency actions launched in Bastar region, involves personnel of the District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters and Special Task Force, all units of the Chhattisgarh police; Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit CoBRA, among others.The operation was launched following inputs about the presence of senior cadres of the `battalion number 1′ — considered to be the strongest military formation of the Maoists — and leaders of the Telangana state committee of the Maoists in the area.The densely forested area with a series of hills is said to be the base of the battalion no 1, according to the police.Intelligence suggests that several senior Maoist cadres have either been killed or seriously injured during the operation, said Sundarraj.Hundreds of Naxalite hideouts and bunkers have been destroyed so far and a huge cache of explosive materials, detonators, food stock and items of daily use have been seized, he said.At least six security personnel belonging to STF, DRG and CoBRA were injured in separate incidents of pressure IED blasts.All of them were out of danger, Sundarraj said.As many as 146 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in the state so far this year.Of them, 129 were killed in the Bastar division comprising seven districts including Bijapur.
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