Five Naxalites were gunned down on Saturday by security forces during an ongoing encounter in the jungles of Abujhmadh at the Kanker-Narayanpur Border in Chhattisgarh, said the police.
Two jawans were also injured in the operation and were airlifted to Raipur where they are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The encounter broke out between the security forces and Naxalites earlier on Saturday morning in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, said a senior police official.
The exchange of fire began at 8 am in a forest in north Abujhmad along the border of Narayanpur and Kanker districts when a joint team of security personnel was out in an anti-Naxalite operation, he said.
The encounter is being carried out by a joint team of security forces including the Border Security Force (BSF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF).
"So far, the bodies of 5 Naxalites have been recovered. A large quantity of weapons have also been recovered. The search operation is going on," Bastar IG, P Sundarraj said.
"2 jawans have been injured in the encounter. They are out of danger. Necessary arrangements are being made for better treatment of both the injured jawans," he added.
"...The encounter started around 6 am. The encounter is still going on. Around 5 Naxalites were killed. 2 soldiers were injured... one was shot in the leg and the other in the head. Both are safe," a jawan involved in the encounter told ANI.
So far, bodies of 197 Naxalites have been recovered so far including the Saturday encounter among other instances in the state's Bastar region comprising seven districts including Kanker and Narayanpur, police said.
(With inputs from agencies)