Nine Indian Troops Killed in Maoist Roadside Bomb Attack
Nine members of India’s security forces were killed on Monday when Maoist guerrillas detonated a roadside bomb, causing their vehicle to be thrown into the air, police confirmed. The explosion, which created a large crater in the road, occurred in the central state of Chhattisgarh.
The attack took place as the soldiers were returning from an anti-Maoist operation on Saturday, during which four rebels and a police officer lost their lives. Vivekanand Sinha, the chief of the state police’s anti-Maoist operations, reported that eight security personnel and a driver died when their vehicle struck a landmine planted by the insurgents.
The Maoists, known as Naxalites, have waged a decades-long insurgency, claiming to fight for the rights of marginalized indigenous communities in India’s central, resource-rich regions. The conflict, which began in 1967, has led to over 10,000 deaths. In 2024 alone, official figures show that 287 rebels were killed as government forces intensified efforts to suppress the insurgency.
Amit Shah, India’s Interior Minister, reiterated the government’s commitment to eradicating the Maoist movement following the latest attack. He had previously warned the rebels in September to surrender or face a full-scale assault, with the government aiming to crush the insurgency by 2026.
“We will wipe out Naxalism from our country by March 2026,” Shah vowed in a statement.
While the Maoist insurgency was once widespread, particularly in a region known as the “Red Corridor,” its territorial influence has been greatly reduced in recent years. Authorities have invested heavily in local infrastructure and social programs to counter the appeal of the Naxalite movement.