Bhubaneswar, May 14 : At least seven Maoists were gunned down in separate encounters with security personnel in Odisha's Kandhamal and Balangir districts in last two days, said an official on Monday.

"Five Maoists were killed during a combing operation at Sudukumpa forest in Kandhamal's Golanki village.

"While two were killed in Dudkamal village of Balangir district," said Additional Director General of Police (Operations) R.P. Koche.

Acting on a tip-off, a combing operation was launched by the police and Special Operation Group (SOG) personnel in Sudukumpa forest, said Koche.

The police have recovered nine rifles, including AK-47 and INSAS and other ammunition from the area. The combing operation was on in the forest area, he added.

Director General of Police R.P. Sharma described it as a red letter day in the history of Odisha Police.

"This is a great team effort. The district Superintendents of Police have led from the front with exemplary courage and confidence," said Sharma.



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Beirut, Nov 24: Hezbollah fired at least 185 rockets and other projectiles into Israel on Sunday, wounding seven people in the group's heaviest barrage in several days, in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut while negotiators pressed on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war.

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army centre killed one soldier and wounded 18 others on the southwestern coastal road between Tyre and Naqoura, Lebanon's military said. Israel's military expressed regret and said the strike occurred in an area of combat against Hezbollah, adding that its operations are directed solely against the Hezbollah group. The strike was under review.

Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines.

Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, condemned the latest strike as an assault on US-led cease-fire efforts, calling it a “direct, bloody message rejecting all efforts and ongoing contacts” to end the war.