At least seven Maoist rebels and a paramilitary soldier were killed in a fierce gunbattle in central India, police said Friday.
Police and paramilitary troopers launched a clearing operation in Dantewada district, a rebel stronghold in Chattisgarh state on Thursday. As the soldiers closed in on a rebel-infested area early Friday, a gunbattle broke out killing the rebels, said inspector general of police, R.K. Vij.
A paramilitary soldier was also killed when the rebels returned fire, Vij said.
A large cache of arms and ammunition, including light machine guns and grenades, have been recovered from the rebel hide-out, he said.
Dantewada is about 900 kilometers (560 miles) south of Patna, capital of neighboring Bihar state.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting for more than three decades in several Indian states, demanding land and jobs for agricultural laborers and the poor. They frequently target police and government officials, whom they accuse of colluding with landlords and rich farmers to exploit the poor.
Hundreds of people _ including police, militants and civilians _ have died in the violence in recent years.
