<span style="color: #222222;">The number of security personnel martyred in the Maoist attack rose to 23 with a recovery of 21 more bodies from the bordering area of Sukma and Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh on Sunday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Among those who were martyred, 8 personnel belonged to the Cobra Battalion of CRPF, 8 Jawans of District Reserve Guard, 6 Jawans of Special Task Force and one Jawan of Bastaria Battalion. Besides, 28 other jawans of various security forces were injured in the encounter. Critically injured 13 jawans have been airlifted to capital Raipur for better treatment.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The bodies of martyred personnel were found and retrieved after additional forces launched a search operation at the site of encounter in the forests of Tarrem close to the inter-district border of Sukma and Bijapur in Bastar division. Earlier, bodies of two jawans were recovered last evening from the spot.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The ambush took place yesterday when a large contingent of security forces was on an anti-Maoist operation following a specific intelligence input about the presence of a large number of Maoist cadres in the area. Maoists ambushed the Jawans leading to a fierce encounter that continued for several hours. </span><br />''  <br />