NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday condoled the death of 22 security personnel in a Naxal ambush in Chhattisgarh, and prayed for the recovery of injured and safe return of those still missing.
A group of an estimated 400 Maoists ambushed the security personnel who were part of a large contingent deployed for a special operation, leading to the killing of at least 22 personnel and injuries to 30 others on Saturday, official sources said.
"My homage to the immortal martyrdom of the country's jawans in Naxal attack in Chhatisgarh. I wish speedy recovery of the jawans injured in the attack. The search operation by our security forces for missing jawans is underway. I pray to the God for their safe return," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
The attack took place during a search and destroy operation by the security personnel along the border of Bijapur-Sukma district after they got inputs of some Maoists presence in the area.
The Maoists rained bullets from light machine guns (LMGs) and used low-intensity improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to mount the attack that continued for several hours, they added.