There are indications thatsecurity forcesmay launch a targeted operation within a month to take the fight deep into so-called Maoist strongholds and hunt downguerrilla, the sources said.
Multiple sources in the confirmed that both the state and Centre agreed on an operation to neutralize Maoist military commander Hidma, said to be the mastermind of the recent massacre and most major attacks on forces over the past decade.
The southern half of Bastar division is a hotbed of Maoist activity as the insurgents use this corridor to move in and out of Maharashtra, Telangana and Odisha.
Guerrilla squads are mobilised from other regions for major attacks, who cross borders, carry out their task and escape into their own territory and into other areas where they wait out the pursuit.