Sukma attack: Five STF jawans get injured in gun battle with Maoists

Five special task force (STF) personnel were on Saturday injured in a fierce gunbattle with Maoists in the dense forests of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, the police said.

The encounter is still going on, they added. The exchange of fire is underway between a joint team ofsecurity forces and ultras in the interior forests of Chintagufa police station area, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dantewada range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

"As per the preliminary information, five STF jawans havesustained injuries in the encounter," he said. The joint team, comprising personnel from STF, District Reserve Guard (DRG) and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for ResoluteAction), was carrying out anti-Naxal operation in Chintagufaarea, around 500 km from here, he said.

The team members were cordoning off a forest patch in southern part of Chintagufa when they came under fire from agroup of Naxals, the IPS officer said. The security forces retaliated, triggering an exchangeof fire, he said.

The DIG said on getting information about the gun battle, reinforcement was rushed to the spot and efforts were on to evacuate the injured jawans.

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Further details were awaited, he added. On April 24, 25 CRPF personnel were killed in a Naxalambush in Burkapal area under Chintagufa police station oflimits of?Sukma, the worst Maoist-affected district in thestate.