Sources said the Naxals were equipped with sophisticated weapons and the ambush had been well planned, aimed at cornering the forces from all sides.
Security teams from six camps were deputed to intercept them. These personnel were drawn from the STF, DRG and District Force of the Chhattisgarh Police, the CRPF and its elite CoBRA unit.
Baghel said the Naxals attacked the security personnel in desperation as once these camps would be set up, their (Naxalite) movement will be majorly restricted.
The intended target, as per some reports, was the deadly Battalion 1 of the Maoists and its commander Hidma.
Sources said the Naxals were equipped with sophisticated weapons and the ambush had been well planned, aimed at cornering the forces from all sides.
They used light machine guns and improvised explosive devices during the ambush that lasted three hours.
The theory that's emerging is that the Naxals may have fed fake intelligence, and then planned out an ambush. By the time the security personnel realised they had already been cornered and then targeted.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Sukma today. He will visit the site where Naxals attacked security personnel at the Sukma-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh. Later, he will meet the injured jawans at the hospital.