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Naxals torch 17 vehicles at mining site in Kanker

A group of armed Naxals raided the Barbaspur iron ore mining site under the limits of Korar police station and after threatening the labourers, they torched 17 vehicles engaged in mining work, said Kanker Superintendent of Police Jitendera Singh Meena. After torching the vehicles, the Maoists fled into the forest, he said.

On getting information about the incident, a police team was immediately rushed to the spot, which found the vehicles, including trucks, mining machineries and JCB, burnt, he said.

A search operation has been launched in the region to nab the ultras involved in the incident, the SP added.

The extremists are reportedly opposing ore mining in the area being carried out by Neco Jayaswal Company. Four officials of Neco Jayaswal company, including a general manager, were kidnapped on April 1 by Naxals from a separate ore reserve – Chargaon in Kanker district. However, they were later released the same day.

Meanwhile, more than 24 hours after the attack, the police on Sunday retrieved the bodies of seven STF personnel killed in a Naxal ambush in Polampalli forests in the insurgency-hit Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday.Although bad weather and hostile terrain had hampered the evacuation operation this morning, the security forces finally recovered the bodies of the martyrs.

Amid heavy security, the bodies of the Special Task Force personnel were taken to Kankerlanka camp (around 12 kms from the ambush spot), said Additional Director General of Police (anti- naxal operations) RK Vij. “From Kankerlanka, the bodies will be airlifted to Jagdalpur district headquarter, where tribute would be paid to the martyrs,” Vij added.

Apart from killing the STF personnel, the rebels also looted their weapons. “Due to prolonged
gun-battle, bodies of the martyred personnel could not been retrieved from the forests yesterday, whereas bad weather and hostile terrain affected the evacuation operation this morning,”
he said.

Anti-Naxal ops: Forces in 10 states put on alert

Security forces operating in 10 Naxal-affected states have been asked to maintain a high-degree of “alert” in view of violent counter-offensive launched by the left wing extremists, which led to the killing of seven Chhattisgarh policemen on Saturday.

Sources said the Naxals had lauched their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) in late March in these areas. The offensive has now been heralded with the first big attack on security forces as they killed seven STF policemen and injured about a dozen others in Sukma on Saturday.

The TCOC is the about 3-4 months time period beginning March-April when armed Naxal cadres undertake violent action against security forces and others to gain ground, re-group and strategise their plan of action before the onset of summer.
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