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Govt mulls Army help to fight Naxals

August 06, 2009 20:49 IST

Gearing up for a major offensive against Naxals, the government is contemplating to involve the Army to deal with the Left-wing extremism.

Home Ministry sources said the Centre was preparing a major offensive against the Maoists, who have been involved in large scale violence including kidnapping and killing people, extorting traders and destroying infrastructure in recent past.

"The operation will be based on precise intelligence. We will have to discuss in details with the states. We will also have to see whether Army help could be taken," a senior official said.

Deployment of Army to deal with Naxals will not be a problem for the Home Ministry as the armed forces have been involved in counter-insurgency operations in Kashmir and the Northeast for a long time.

Though no final decision has been taken yet on the scale and strategy of the operation, the Home Ministry will certainly take air support in terms of reece, evacuation of injured and quick deployment of forces in specific areas. Help of modern technology, gadgets and vehicle will be taken adequately and the government has started procuring mine protected vehicle, mine detection equipments and maps of Naxal operated areas.

"Next couple of months will be fully dedicated for preparedness and formulating the strategy. We have information about the areas of their presence. But, we need more specific inputs," the official said.

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