Bhubaneswar, Dec. 4 -- Fifteen Maoists were killed, and three security personnel lost their lives during a large-scale anti-Naxal operation in the Keshkutul forest ofChhattisgarh's Bijapur district, nearly 100 km from the Odisha border.

Marked as one of the most intense encounters recorded in the area this year, the exchange of fire, confirmed by Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav, continued deep inside the forest zone as combined security teams maintained pressure on the group between late last night and early Thursday morning.

According to the district police, the joint team, comprising personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and the elite CoBRA unit, came under fire during an ongoing com...