Narayanpur: Security personnel in Chhattisgarh have reported that at least eight Naxalites were killed in an operation launched on May 21 in a forest along the Narayanpur-Bijapur inter-district border. According to police sources, seven Maoists were killed during an encounter on Thursday, with another Naxalite being shot dead today.

After Thursday's operation, security personnel were returning to their base when they came under fire from Naxalites. This led to a gun battle between the Special Task Force (STF) and the Naxalites on Friday morning.

The STF personnel were part of a joint squad of security forces that had earlier engaged in an encounter, resulting in the deaths of seven Naxalites in the Pallewaya-Handawada area along the Bijapur-Narayanpur border on Thursday.

"After the exchange of fire ceased, the body of a Naxalite in 'uniform' was found at the site," an official stated. Further details are awaited as the situation develops.

With this latest incident, a total of 113 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh this year alone.

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