In a massive operation against Left Wing Extremism, security forces killed 22 Naxalites in two separate encounters in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur and Kanker on Thursday.
According to reports, a jawan of the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) unit was also killed in an encounter in Bijapur.
Eighteen Naxalites were killed in Bijapur, while four were gunned down in Kanker.
The gunfight broke out at around 7 am in a forest along the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was carrying out an anti-Naxalite operation in the Gangaloor police station area (in Bijapur), reported PTI.
In Bijapur, the bodies of Naxalites along with firearms and explosives were recovered from the spot.
The search operation is ongoing, with a joint team of DRG, CoBRA 210, and STF present at the site, reported news agency IANS.
