NEW DELHI: Maoist rebels killed four policemen Wednesday in central Indiawhere the guerrillas have been waging a jungle battle for decades, anofficer said.

Seven other police officers were injured in an ambush in the Narayanpurdistrict of Chhattisgarh state, a densely forested region where securityforces have been hunting the rebels known as Naxals.

District police chief Jitendra Shukla said an unknown number of Maoistsopened fire on the patrol before slipping away into the jungle.

“Four of our men were killed. Seven injured have been taken to hospital inthe state capital Raipur,” Shukla told AFP.

Last year Maoist rebels killed 24 paramilitary policemen in the same statein an ambush on their convoy.

The guerrillas, who say they are fighting for the rights of tribal peopleand landless farmers, often collect funds through extortion.

The Maoists are believed to be present in at least 20 states but are mostactive in Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.

The decades-old insurgency is believed to have cost tens of thousands oflives, with much action focused around the insurgent-dominated “RedCorridor” stretching through central and eastern India.

Critics believe attempts to end the revolt through tough securityoffensives are doomed to fail, saying the real solution is bettergovernance and development of the region.