At least 16 Naxalites were killed, and two security personnel sustained injuries in a major anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, officials said.
The injured jawans belonged to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the state police, they said.
The gunfight broke out at around 8 am in the forest under the Kerlapal police station area, where a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P told PTI.
"Bodies of 16 Naxalites have been recovered from the encounter site so far. The operation is still underway," he said.
The IG said personnel from the DRG and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation launched on Friday night based on inputs about the presence of Maoists in the Kerlapal area.
He said two DRG personnel sustained minor injuries in the face-off, and their condition was stated to be normal.
Sundarraj said a large cache of firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, self-loading rifle (SLR), INSAS rifle, .303 rifle, a rocket launcher and barrel grenade launcher (BGL), and explosive materials were recovered from the spot.
A search operation was still underway in the area, he added.
With the latest action, 132 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 116 were eliminated in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Bijapur.
