Maoist Attack Kills Six Policemen in Eastern India
Maoist rebels killed six policemen Friday in a landmine attack in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, the second deadly ambush by the insurgents against security forces in recent weeks, police said.
"The Maoists targeted a convoy heading out on patrol duty killing six policemen in Gaya district," district police chief N. H. Khan told AFP by telephone.
A villager was also killed in the attack and police have begun a hunt for the attackers, Khan said.
The attack is the latest in a simmering conflict that pits the left-wing insurgents against local and national authorities in the forests and rural areas of mainly central and eastern India.
The rebels also shot dead seven policemen on January 7 in the neighboring state of Jharkhand, another hotbed of left-wing extremism.
The guerrillas, who say they are fighting for the rights of tribal people and landless farmers, often collect funds through extortion and protection rackets.
The government describes the Maoists as the country's most serious internal security threat.
Source: Agence France Presse
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