04-09-2008, 05:23 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Maoists on the run</b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Coordinated counter-attack pays dividends
The war between the Maoists in central India and the Indian security forces has intensified. It is a positive development that the police have taken the initiative in engaging with the country's nefarious internal enemy. Till recently, the Maoists used to select the time and place of combat and were especially delighted in making the police and other symbols of the Indian state their target. In the last few months, however, the security forces, to their credit, have been successful in flushing the militants out through well coordinated anti-Maoist operations in large numbers from the jungles which formed their hideouts and training grounds. In the first three month of this year, such operations have resulted in the death of 67 ultras and the seizure of 6,230 kg of explosives, 39,000 live ammunition and 1,157 arms in 40 encounters. In another mark of success, 176 extremists have surrendered before the CRPF by March 31. An important aspect of these operations has been the co-ordination between the police forces of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, as also with the Central forces as well in the States of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, operations against the Maoists used to be hampered by the absence of fine-tuned coordination, and the extremists make good use of State boundaries, as part of their hit-and-run tactics, to escape. A novel feature of these operations is the use of technological resources by the Government forces, which has given them an edge. The flushing operations have been aided by surveillance on the outlawed militia cadre through satellite imagery and helicopters. These are all signs that the Government has at last begun to take the Maoist threat with some of the seriousness it deserves.
These operations have not come early enough. The Maoists have taken a particularly vicious toll of the security forces over the last year with as many as 236 security force personnel killed. This was an alarming rise over the figures for such deaths over the previous years and was in contrast to the decline in the number of Maoists eliminated over the same period. It was clear that Maoists had gathered strength and were confident in their plans to rollback the Indian state. The successes of the security forces in the early months of this year, though commendable, should not make them complacent. The Maoists remain well-entrenched in several States and have access to funds, weapons and technological resources. They have reportedly also developed international links, including with several jihadi outfits. It is not going to be easy to root out 'red' terror from the Indian countryside and will require a sustained effort over a period of time
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Too soon they had started celebrating, till UPA and Commies are in power this is just a eyewash.
The Pioneer Edit Desk
Coordinated counter-attack pays dividends
The war between the Maoists in central India and the Indian security forces has intensified. It is a positive development that the police have taken the initiative in engaging with the country's nefarious internal enemy. Till recently, the Maoists used to select the time and place of combat and were especially delighted in making the police and other symbols of the Indian state their target. In the last few months, however, the security forces, to their credit, have been successful in flushing the militants out through well coordinated anti-Maoist operations in large numbers from the jungles which formed their hideouts and training grounds. In the first three month of this year, such operations have resulted in the death of 67 ultras and the seizure of 6,230 kg of explosives, 39,000 live ammunition and 1,157 arms in 40 encounters. In another mark of success, 176 extremists have surrendered before the CRPF by March 31. An important aspect of these operations has been the co-ordination between the police forces of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, as also with the Central forces as well in the States of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, operations against the Maoists used to be hampered by the absence of fine-tuned coordination, and the extremists make good use of State boundaries, as part of their hit-and-run tactics, to escape. A novel feature of these operations is the use of technological resources by the Government forces, which has given them an edge. The flushing operations have been aided by surveillance on the outlawed militia cadre through satellite imagery and helicopters. These are all signs that the Government has at last begun to take the Maoist threat with some of the seriousness it deserves.
These operations have not come early enough. The Maoists have taken a particularly vicious toll of the security forces over the last year with as many as 236 security force personnel killed. This was an alarming rise over the figures for such deaths over the previous years and was in contrast to the decline in the number of Maoists eliminated over the same period. It was clear that Maoists had gathered strength and were confident in their plans to rollback the Indian state. The successes of the security forces in the early months of this year, though commendable, should not make them complacent. The Maoists remain well-entrenched in several States and have access to funds, weapons and technological resources. They have reportedly also developed international links, including with several jihadi outfits. It is not going to be easy to root out 'red' terror from the Indian countryside and will require a sustained effort over a period of time
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Too soon they had started celebrating, till UPA and Commies are in power this is just a eyewash.