Indian security forces killed at least 31 Maoist rebels last weekend in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Two security personnel were killed and two others wounded in the skirmish.

The February 9 encounter, in the forested areas of Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, was one of the deadliest since the government ramped up efforts to crush the long-running insurgency between the Maoist rebels, known as Naxalites, and government forces.

A month earlier, security forces shot dead at least 14 Naxalites, including a top commander.

"Another mighty blow to Naxalism," said Interior Minister Amit Shah, who has set a deadline of March 2026 to defeat the rebels.

The Naxalites — named after the district where their armed campaign began in 1967 — were inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.

They follow a form of communism propogated by Mao, and have waged a guerrilla-style insurgency against the government, particularly in central and eastern India.

Nearly 60 years of conflict has led to periodic clashes and thousands of casualties on both sides.

India's Naxal movement began in 1967 in Naxalbari, a small village in the Indian state of West Bengal on the east coast, as a........

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