Raipur, May 20: Six jawans were killed in a blast triggered by an improvised explosive device in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada region. The IED attack was carried out by the local naxal insurgents. Apart from five jawans reported dead, two others were left critically injured.

Among the deceased, three jawans belonged to the Chhattisgarh Armed Force, whereas, two others were personnel of the District Force.

The attack was first reported by news agency ANI at 12:46 pm. The police vehicle in which the jawans were travelling in Dantewada's Cholnar village was targeted using the IED.

The naxal assault comes in the backdrop of two successful operations conducted by the CRPF and Chhattisgarh Police against the left-wing extremists in the state. A total of 19 maoists were gunned down in the past two months, apart from the surrender of over two dozen among them.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, during his recent address on internal security, said the menace of naxalism has largely been thwarted. "They have no other option but to surrender. While we are cracking down on them with full force, we would also ask them to give up the arms and return to the mainstream," he had said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2018 01:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).