India, April 17 -- Security forces on Friday dealt a major blow to Left-Wing Extremism in Jharkhand, killing four hardcore Maoists, including a senior regional commander, in a fierce encounter in the Khapia forest area of Hazaribagh.

A CRPF personnel familiar with the development said that elite commandos of the 209 CoBRA Battalion, along with local police, acted on precise intelligence inputs and launched a targeted operation against a squad led by Sahdeo Mahto alias Anuj, a notorious regional committee member (RCM).

"The encounter began around 2pm when the Maoist group opened fire on the advancing troops, leading to an intense exchange of fire. After a half-hour encounter four Maoists were neutralised," a senior official said.

Those ...