Two CoBRA commandos injured in IED blast in Chhattisgarh

Two CRPF CoBRA commandos were injured in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, when a Naxalite-planted IED exploded during an anti-Maoist operation. The injured were hospitalized in Raipur, while security forces continue the ongoing operation

Bijapur: Two commandos of CRPF’s CoBRA unit were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Naxalites went off in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, police said on Monday.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxal operation in the Farsegarh police station area, an official said.

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Personnel belonging to the Special Task Force and District Reserve Guard (DRG), both units of the state police, and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute action – an elite unit of CRPF) were involved in the operation, which is still underway, he said.

When the patrolling team was cordoning off the forest of Farsegarh-Pillur Kandlaparti, an IED planted by Naxalites exploded, causing minor injuries to two CoBRA personnel, he said.

The injured personnel were shifted to a hospital in the state capital Raipur where their condition was reported to be stable and out of danger, the official said.

Maoists often plant IEDs along the road, dirt tracks and forests in the interior pockets of the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Bijapur, to target security personnel during patrolling.

In the past, civilians have also fallen prey to such traps laid by Naxalites in the region.