5 troops killed in Maoist land mine blast in India

Police say five paramilitary soldiers were killed by a land mine set off by suspected Maoist rebels in eastern India.

Amit Kumar, a senior police officer in Bihar state, said seven other soldiers were injured in Thursday’s explosion.

It happened as the troops were on a routine patrol in a forest in Bihar’s Gaya district 120km southwest of Bihar’s capital Patna. The area is a known stronghold of the rebels who have been fighting in several Indian states for over 40 years.

They are considered India’s gravest internal security threat and claim inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. They are demanding land and jobs for impoverished tribal communities they say are ignored by the government.