Indian police kill 9 Maoists rebels

India's security forces on Tuesday shot dead nine Maoist rebels during a fierce gunbattle in a remote forested area of central India, a senior police officer said. "Nine Maoists have been killed in a gunbattle with security forces and their bodies have been recovered," police inspector general Himanshu Gupta told AFP. The battle was the latest in a simmering conflict pitting the left-wing insurgents against local and national authorities in the forests and rural areas of mainly central and eastern India. Tuesday's fighting took place in the thick forests of Sukma district, some 525 kilometres (326 miles) south of Chhattisgarh state capital Raipur. "Eleven sophisticated weapons, including self-loading rifles, have been recovered from the battle site," Gupta said. Police commandos raided the area following an intelligence tip-off, Gupta said, adding that no casualties were reported among the security forces. In February, the guerrillas, who say they are fighting for the rights of tribal people and landless farmers, killed six policemen in a landmine attack in Bihar state. The national government describes the Maoists as the country's most serious internal security threat.