Greyhounds to take on Reds in Odisha

The Centre has sent fresh reinforcements of at least 1,000-strong central armed police forces to take on the Maoists in Jharkhand that will replace the battle-fatigued personnel and launch a fresh offensive from January 16.

This time, the Centre is also roping in elite Greyhounds of Andhra Pradesh in the operations. But their number remains unspecified.

The Greyhounds are known for carrying out tactical guerrilla-like operations that can run into several days without any reinforcements or supplies.     

“Despite reverses in Jharkhand, we do not want to lose the initiative in the ongoing battle. The offensive has definitely unsettled the Maoists pushing them to resort to inhuman and barbaric act of planting explosives inside dead security personnel’s abdomen. They are unsettled because this time our forces are calling the shots by challenging the in their so called liberated zones,” a senior home ministry official said.

Meanwhile, expecting that the Maoists may try to get out of the stranglehold in Jharkhand by launching tactical counter offensive campaign (TCOC) in other areas, the Union home ministry has sent in advisory to all the Maoist-affected states to take precautions along with offensive measures including inter-state operations and conducting raids.

“During TCOC, the Maoists send small teams of to various areas to divert attention of the security forces. We are expecting them to resort to such tactics,” said sources.