The Maoist movement, which began in 1967, feeds off land disputes, police brutality and corruption, and is strongest in the poorest and most deprived areas of India, many of which are rich in natural resources. — Photo by AP

PATNA: Indian security forces killed nine suspected Maoist guerrillas Friday in a gunfight in eastern India during a search of the area for militants, police said.

The clash marked the latest violence in an escalating fight between security forces and the ultra-leftist militants, who are entrenched deep in jungles across a swathe of northern and eastern India.

The nine militants were shot dead in an hour-long dawn battle in a forest in the Latehar district of the mineral-rich state of Jharkhand, where Maoists have a heavy presence.

“Nine Maoists were killed by security forces near Luhur forest in Latehar,” Jharkhand police chief Neyaz Ahmad told AFP by telephone.

Arms and ammunition were retrieved from the battle site, said another senior Latehar policeman, Kuldeep Diwedi.

Diwedi said the clash occurred during ongoing operations to comb the area for Maoists.

Violence by Maoist militants in India rose in 2010, leaving a record 1,169 people dead, the latest federal government figures show.

The Maoist movement, which began in 1967, feeds off land disputes, police brutality and corruption, and is strongest in the poorest and most deprived areas of India, many of which are rich in natural resources.

Some 171 suspected leftwing guerrillas were killed last year along with 713 civilians in Maoist-linked violence compared to the previous year's tally of 591. A total of 285 policemen also died in 2010.

Premier Manmohan Singh has called the insurgency India's main internal security threat and has urged state governments to increase pro-poor welfare measures, especially in Maoist-hit regions, to help counter the ultra-leftists.