At least 16 Maoist rebels have been killed in fighting against Indian forces, according to authorities in eastern India.
The battles began with a major raid in a forest in the state of Chhattisgarh. When the police announced the death toll on Saturday morning, the fighting was still ongoing.
More than 10,000 people have been killed within the framework of a conflict that has been going on for several decades, in a "red corridor" in eastern India where Maoist-influenced so-called Naxalites claim to be fighting for the local population to get a larger share of natural resources and land.
India's Home Minister Amit Shah has promised to eliminate the remaining rebel groups by next year. So far this year, more than 110 Maoist fighters have been killed.
