At least ten Naxalites were eliminated in a gunfight with security forces in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Friday, marking a significant victory, according to an official. A group of security guards was on an anti-Naxalite operation in the morning when the gunfight broke out in a forest under the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station.

Security personnel seized an AK-47 rifle, an INSAS rifle, and an SLR rifle after a gunfight with Maoists from the South Bastar Divisional Committee (DVC) in the forest near Bhandarpadar village, about 10 km southwest of the Bhejji police station. The Union Home Minister declared in August this year that the nation would be free of left-wing extremism by March 2026. This is a significant step toward eradicating LWE completely by March 2026. Five Naxalites were killed by security troops in the Bastar Kanker area of Chhattisgarh last week, earlier on November 18. The police official gave details about the Naxalites on Monday, stating that they were senior cadres with a total reward of Rs 28 lakh.

The police said that two women were among the Naxalites killed in an encounter with security forces during a joint anti-Naxal operation. The operation took place on Saturday in the Abhujmaad area, located along the Narayanpur-Kanker border. Security forces also found several weapons at the scene, including a Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), an INSAS rifle, a 12-bore rifle, a .315-bore rifle, a barrel grenade launcher (BGL), and a large number of explosives. 

Since January 2024, 257 Naxalites have been neutralised, 861 arrested and 789 surrendered. Deaths from Naxal violence have significantly decreased; by September 2024, there were just 96 deaths, a 90% decrease from the peak of 1,005 deaths in 2010. Notably, the death toll dropped below 100 in 2022 for the first time in four decades. Since 2019, security forces have strengthened the security grid by building 279 new camps in former Maoist strongholds and successfully eliminated 14 key Naxal leaders.