NEW DELHI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Two hardcore left-wing Naxalite rebels have been killed by security forces in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, police said Wednesday.
"The two rebels were gunned down by security forces in an encounter that took place when the they opened fire on the personnel on an anti-Naxalite operation near Minpa village in the state's Sukma district Tuesday night," a police official said.
"One security personnel also sustained injuries during the anti-Naxal operation. He is being treated at a government hospital," he added.
Chhattisgarh is often hit by Naxalite violence.
The left-win insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s, spreading to more than one-third of India's administrative districts.
Though major offensives by security forces in recent years have pushed the rebels back to their forest strongholds and the levels of violence have fallen, but hit-and-run attacks are still common, killing hundreds of people, mostly security personnel, every year.
