Indian forces kill six Maoist rebels despite declared ceasefire

Over 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since villagers first revolted in 1967

Indian security forces have shot dead six Maoist rebels, police said Tuesday, weeks after the guerrillas announced a halt to their decades-long insurgency.

New Delhi has launched an all-out offensive and vowed to wipe out the Maoist rebellion by March, with the latest gun battle taking place in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh state.

"We have so far recovered bodies of six Maoists from the jungle after an encounter with the security forces," senior police official Sundarraj Pattilingam told AFP by phone.

"Police carried out a joint operation and in the exchange of fire six of the Maoists were killed and a huge amount of arms and explosives have been recovered, including sophisticated weapons,"  he said.

The police official said "senior commanders" were killed, without providing further details.

The violence comes nearly two months after the Maoists said they were suspending their armed struggle and offered talks with the government.

Read More: Eight killed in 'mysterious' car blast near Delhi's Red Fort

"Those who want to surrender are welcome, and those who continue to wield the gun will meet the wrath of our forces," Home Minister Amit Shah said last month.

More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died in the conflict since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords in 1967.

The rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters at its peak in the mid-2000s, but it has been dramatically weakened in recent years.

In October, the government said more than 250 Maoist rebels, including senior leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao, surrendered over the course of two days.