Indian troops kill 27 Maoist rebels

Indian commandos yesterday killed the Maoist insurgent chief, the country's home minister said, in what could be a decisive blow to the decades-long conflict.

Amit Shah said troops had killed 27 rebels in central India, including the "topmost leader" of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist group, commonly known as the Naxalite rebellion, after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago.

"Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralised 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement," Shah said in a statement.