Were Two Commandos Injured in an IED Blast During an Anti-Naxal Operation in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh?
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Key Takeaways
Raipur/Bijapur, Dec 16 (NationPress) In a troubling reminder of the ongoing danger posed by Naxalite activities in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, two commandos from the Central Reserve Police Force's (CRPF) specialized unit, the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), suffered minor injuries due to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion.
This incident took place on Monday within the thick forests of the Pillur-Kandlaparti area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Farsegarh police station in the Bijapur district, an area frequently targeted by Naxals.
A combined team, including members from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF)—both of which are state police divisions—and CoBRA commandos, was engaged in an area dominance and anti-Naxal search when they unsuspectingly activated a pressure-triggered IED planted by Maoists.
According to law enforcement officials, the detonation occurred as the patrolling team was securing the forest region. A prompt reaction from fellow team members helped control the situation quickly.
The injured CoBRA commandos were given initial medical assistance on-site before being either airlifted or transported to a hospital in Raipur, the state capital, for further treatment.
Officials indicated that the injured personnel are stable and not in any imminent danger, with their wounds categorized as minor.
Security forces have remarked that the limited severity of the injuries prevented a potentially grave incident, attributing their training and alertness to this outcome.
Maoists often lay IEDs along rural routes, roads, and forest trails in the deeper sections of the Bastar division, which includes seven districts, such as Bijapur, to ambush patrolling security forces. Such explosives have claimed both military and civilian lives in past confrontations, illustrating the asymmetric warfare strategies employed by insurgents amid escalating anti-Naxal campaigns.
Recently, significant progress was made against Naxal insurgency in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, where ten Maoists from the Darbha division surrendered to security forces. The surrendered members were collectively valued at a bounty of Rs 33 lakh, with one individual, Medium Bhima, having an Rs 8 lakh reward on his head.