NAGPUR: A landmine blast triggered by Maoists (Naxals) in a forest area near the border of Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh states in the central India killed three commandos early Thursday morning.
A Press Trust of India (PTI) report, quoting local police, today said, "Three troopers of C-60 Commando Force were killed in the blast."
Local witnesses said "there was an exchange of gunfire after the blast."
The anti-Naxal Commando Force was on a mission in the Bada Zariya forest area in Dhanora taluka (sub-division) of Gadchiroli District, 170kms south-east of Maharashtra state's winter capital Nagpur.
The district categorised as tribal and undeveloped is mostly covered with forest and hills.
This is a major attack by Maoists in the last few months after police eliminated more than 23 insurgents in different operations this year, PTI said.
The terms Naxal or Naxalites are used to describe various communist insurgents operating mainly in central and south eastern states of India.
Senior police officers have arrived to investigate the attack, police said. (QNA)
