Maoists fire at BSF chopper in south Chhattisgarh

[mirage2K]

NEW DELHI: Within three months, Maoists fired at another helicopter of the security forces in south Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. A day after nine suspected Maoists were killed in a joint operation at Kanchala forests on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border, the rebels targeted an MI-17 helicopter of the BSF. However, the BSF managed to evacuate the Greyhound men, involved in the operation, from Battiguda in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, close to the encounter site.

In January, an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash landed at Chhattisgarh's Timilwada after Maoists fired bullets that pierced its fuel tank. It triggered a row as six IAF men, including two commandos, abandoned Chhattisgarh Police wireless operator Yamlal Sahu in the chopper and rushed for safety. The IAF men also left behind a light machine gun (LMG) and a pistol.

BSF choppers went on five sorties on Wednesday to fly out 95 of around 130 Greyhound men from the forest to their base at Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh. The BSF helicopter was hit when it landed at Battiguda around 3.30 pm. "On the last sortie, we came under fire. However, we managed to fly out with 14 men," said BSF director-general Subhash Joshi.

The BSF chopper returned to the area on another sortie. "We are concerned about the security of our men and chopper. But, we will definitely perform the task assigned to us," said Joshi.

IAF choppers evacuated 35 security forces personnel from the area. An IAF source pointed out the imperfect sanitization of the landing area in the Maoist stronghold.

During Tuesday's joint operation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were deployed for surveillance. "UAV images showed armed men, suspected to be Maoists, forcing women and children of the village on a tractor and fleeing during the encounter," said a senior officer. The Maoists probably used the women and children as human shield while fleeing, he claimed.

Maoists fire at BSF chopper in south Chhattisgarh - The Times of India

 

[Dillinger]

NEW DELHI: Within three months, Maoists fired at another helicopter of the security forces in south Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. A day after nine suspected Maoists were killed in a joint operation at Kanchala forests on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border, the rebels targeted an MI-17 helicopter of the BSF. However, the BSF managed to evacuate the Greyhound men, involved in the operation, from Battiguda in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, close to the encounter site.

In January, an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter crash landed at Chhattisgarh's Timilwada after Maoists fired bullets that pierced its fuel tank. It triggered a row as six IAF men, including two commandos, abandoned Chhattisgarh Police wireless operator Yamlal Sahu in the chopper and rushed for safety. The IAF men also left behind a light machine gun (LMG) and a pistol.

BSF choppers went on five sorties on Wednesday to fly out 95 of around 130 Greyhound men from the forest to their base at Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh. The BSF helicopter was hit when it landed at Battiguda around 3.30 pm. "On the last sortie, we came under fire. However, we managed to fly out with 14 men," said BSF director-general Subhash Joshi.

The BSF chopper returned to the area on another sortie. "We are concerned about the security of our men and chopper. But, we will definitely perform the task assigned to us," said Joshi.

IAF choppers evacuated 35 security forces personnel from the area. An IAF source pointed out the imperfect sanitization of the landing area in the Maoist stronghold.

During Tuesday's joint operation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were deployed for surveillance. "UAV images showed armed men, suspected to be Maoists, forcing women and children of the village on a tractor and fleeing during the encounter," said a senior officer. The Maoists probably used the women and children as human shield while fleeing, he claimed.

Maoists fire at BSF chopper in south Chhattisgarh - The Times of India

As always the local populace is being used as shields. The maoists wanted to get their hands on AA weapons real bad and since that didn't materialize they're employing small arms against the hepters.

Their practice of using the civilian populace in the region is back firing severely. Just 5 years back we had no HUMINT in the area to speak of since the Maoists knew how to keep the people on their side through liberal usage of extortion money and executions of police informers- carrot and stick policy. But now as the BSF and COIN forces are getting closer and closer to them like a tightening noose they're left with a very poor choice. Use the local population as a shield and earn their ire so much so that it will degrade their crucial int. network or don't use them as shields when ambushed and get butchered by the forces. One way or the other they're going down..and praise be to any of the lords for that.