CRPF today categorically denied any operational lapses during a Naxal ambush in Bihar in which 10 commandos of the force were killed after Left wing extremists blew off as many as 340 heavy IEDs.
Central Reserve Police Force chief K Durga Prasad said Maoists had virtually "ploughed" a 50-metre stretch with hidden mines in the jungles of Aurangabad district where 15-20 CoBRA commandos got trapped and suffered fatal injuries.
"There is no lapse in the operation. It is also wrong to say that the helicopter was not sent to bring back the injured. The chopper did go, lowered down on the helipad, kept its rotor running but could not bring back the injured in the noon as they were stuck in the affected area which was heavily mined by IEDs.
"Later, it flew a night sortie and brought back three injured commandos at 8:30 PM to Patna," the CRPF Director General told PTI.
He said as many as 340 Improvised Explosive Devices, triggered remotely through cordex wires, were blasted by Maoists and each of them were as heavy as 5 kg.
"The commandos suffered fatal injuries from these improvised bombs. The only fortunate part was that other teams had moved forward towards another hillock else the losses on our side would have been colossal," he said.
Prasad said the operation was launched on July 16 and the the force recovered bodies of three Naxals on July 18 after a gunbattle ensued between the two sides.
He added lessons and experiences will be drawn from this operation and CoBRA teams will adopt better tactics to negotiate the deadly menace of IEDs planted in series.
In a similar development, the CRPF headquarters today ordered posting a full-fleged Inspector General-rank officer to look after the Bihar sector, which was being handled in an additional capacity by the forces' IG in neighbouring Jharkhand.
Ten commandos belonging to the elite CoBRA battalion of the force were killed and five others injured after 200 Naxals surrounded troops and blew off multiple IEDs.
This is the biggest casualty of the CoBRA unit in one operation, which was raised by the CRPF in 2008 for undertaking special jungle or guerrilla warfare operations.
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Officials added that the commandos who suffered fatal
injuries were rendered incommunicado for hours and hence it became difficult for other members of the security forces party to know their exact condition.
"The menace of IEDs in series has troubled security forces operating in the Naxal grid in the past but this one had been one of the deadliest," an official said.
Some arms and ammunition, including sophisticated ones like two AK-47 rifles, an INSAS rifle and a under barrel grenade launcher, were also recovered from the site by the CoBRA unit in an indication that senior Maoist leaders were present in the area.
The slain commandos belonged to the 205th COBRA battalion which is deployed in the state for conducting anti-Naxal operations.
