Indian Security Forces Kill Five Left-Wing Extremists

The encounter between India's security forces and extremists belonging to the Communist Party of India (Maoist), locally known as Naxals, comes close on heels of the death of a video journalist and two security personnel who were attacked by the extremist outfit in Aranpur, a village in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Indian security forces have gunned down five left-wing extremists, including a woman, in the eastern state of Odisha. The encounter, which took place on Monday morning in the forests near Kalimela in Odisha's Malkangiri district, was led by a joint team of Odisha Police and elite federal troops from the Special Operation Group.

READ MORE: Children in India's Rebel Hotbed Chhattisgarh in the Line of Fire for Education

The operation was aimed at eliminating the local leader of the extremist outfit, but he managed to escape.

Security forces seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the area where the standoff took place.

READ MORE: Indian Forces Ambush Left-Wing Rebel Hideout: at Least 15 Rebels Killed

Naxal rebels present India's biggest internal security challenge. In the first five months of 2018, 40 Naxals were eliminated by India's security forces. In 2017, 77 Naxals were eliminated and in 2016, the security forces killed 185 Naxals, according to official figures.