17 STF, DRG, COBRA soldiers martyred in naxal encounter in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district

New Delhi: 17 soldiers of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) were martyred on Saturday (March 22, 2020) in a battle with the Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district.

The encounter took place around 1 pm on Saturday afternoon and went on for three continuous hours. 

2 DRG soldiers and 1 STF soldier lost their lives in Chintagufa while 4 DRG soldiers and 1 STF soldier lost their lives in Burkapal region. The other soldiers who sacrificed their lives were from the COBRA battalion.

The battle went on for continuous three hours and 14 soldiers were injured as well. All of them were admitted in Raipur on Saturday night.

According to an official, the personnel had launched the operation from Chintagufa, Burkapal and Timelwada camps based on information about the presence of ultras near Elmagunda. When the team was advancing through Korajguda hills, located around 450 km from the state capital Raipur, firing broke out between the two sides, the official said.