Rebels killed in gunfight

NEW DELHI: Indian special forces killed seven suspected Maoist rebels in a raid on a jungle camp yesterday that triggered a gunfight lasting several hours, police said. The far-left rebels in the central state of Chhattisgarh are part of a long-standing conflict that has left tens of thousands dead since the 1960s. They were in a camp in dense forest in Rajnandgaon district, some 70 kilometers from the state capital Raipur. “So far seven bodies have been recovered from the encounter spot,” a senior police officer in the district said on condition of anonymity. He said arms and ammunition were recovered from the camp. — AFP