3 killed as left-wing Naxalite rebels attack passenger train in eastern India

India's left-wing Naxalite rebels Thursday attacked a passenger train in the eastern state of Bihar, killing at least three people and injuring 10 others, before looting arms and ammunition from the security forces personnel guarding it, a senior police official said. "A group of 100 armed Naxalites ambushed the Dhanbad-Patna Intercity Express near Kundhar in the state's Jamui district at 1 p.m. (local time). They fired at the train to stop it. Three people, including the driver of the train and a security forces personnel, was killed while 10 others sustained injuries," he said, on condition of anonymity. The official said that the main aim of the Naxalites was not to attack passengers but to loot weapons of the Railway Police Force personnel guarding the train. "There were some 500 passengers on the train when the Naxalites attacked it. No passenger has died in the incident, only some, including the driver of the train, sustained bullet injuries. Medical teams have reached the spot," he added. Local TV channels showed footage of the train with bullet holes and injured passengers being rushed to hospitals by medical teams. The Indian government has condemned the attack on the train, saying it only shows the desperation and frustration of the Naxalites to procure arms and ammunition. "The attack shows the frustration of Naxalites because their sources for arms and ammunition have dried up. It is unfortunate that Naxalites have now started targeting innocent civilians. We will take all measures to fight Naxalites," Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh told the media in the national capital. The latest attack came less than a month after the Naxlites ambushed India's ruling Congress party's convoy in the central state of Chhattisgarh, wiping out the party's entire state leadership. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Naxalism as the country's biggest internal security threat.