The attack took place in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district. (Representational)

Raipur:

Ten policemen and a driver were killed on Thursday when their vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, officials said.

The policemen were returning from an anti-Maoist operation that was launched after intelligence inputs, they said.

The Maoists, also known as Naxals, have waged an armed insurgency against the government that has killed hundreds of people over six decades. They say they are fighting on behalf of the poorest, who have been left out of the country’s economic boom.

Since 1967 the group seen as the greatest threat to the country’s internal security have asserted control over vast swathes of land in central and eastern India, establishing a so-called “red corridor”. They operate from thick forests, and their operations against the Indian administration and forces are shrouded in secrecy.