1st LD Writethru : Indian police kill 18 Naxals in gunfight in Odisha

At least 18 Naxals were killed and two policemen wounded Monday in a major gunfight in India's eastern state of Odisha, officials said.

The gunfight according to officials broke out early Monday inside forest area of Malkangiri district, about 650 km southwest of Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha.

"Early today a combined special police force from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha killed at least 18 Naxals," a police official said.

"The gunfight triggered when the joint team was carrying out a search operation inside forest area of Malkangiri district late last night."

According to officials two policemen were wounded fighting Naxals and they were immediately removed to the nearest medical facility.

Reports said at least 50 to 60 Naxals had gathered for a meeting inside the area.

The search operation was carried out on intelligence inputs about a meeting of top Naxal leaders in the area, officials said.

"Search and combing operations in the area are underway," the police official said. "We suspect a few top leaders of the group might be among the dead."

Naxalites are also known as "Maoists".

Maoist insurgency has its genesis in the violent left-wing rebellion that began in 1967 at village Naxalbari in Indian state of West Bengal.

Currently Maoists are active in more than a third of India's 600-odd districts across central and eastern India.

India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh once termed the Naxalite movement as India's "greatest internal security challenge".

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

The insurgency so far has claimed more than 6000 lives and rendered thousands of poor inhabitants homeless. Endit