At least 10 policemen and their driver were killed on Thursday when Naxals blew up their van with an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, officials said.

The policemen were returning from an anti-Naxal operation that was launched on the basis of intelligence inputs, they said.

The policemen belonged to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a special force of the Chhattisgarh police that comprises mostly local tribals trained to fight Maoists as they are well versed with the jungle terrain.

The DRG has carried out several successful operations against the Naxals in Bastar, a hotbed of left-wing extremism.

Paramilitary personnel and local police have launched a combing operation following the Naxal attack..

Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel after the attack and assured all possible help from the Centre/

“The news of the martyrdom of our 10 DRG jawans and a driver due to an IED blast targeting the DRG force which had arrived for anti-Naxal operation on the information of the presence of Maoist cadre under Aranpur police station area of Dantewada is very sad. We share the grief of their families. May their soul rest in peace,” Baghel tweeted.