New Delhi , India ( CNN ) -- At least 24 paramilitary troops and a civilian were killed in an armed assault on their camp by suspected Maoists in eastern India , a district official said Tuesday . The attackers struck India 's Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in West Bengal state 's West Midnapore district on Monday . Top district official Narayan Swaroop Nigam told CNN that the raiders arrived on different types of vehicles and that they were equipped with sophisticated self-loading weapons . He insisted that Indian troops retaliated with fire . Two attackers apparently died , but their bodies had not yet been recovered , Nigam said . `` Security forces have combed the area and a manhunt has been launched , '' he added . India regards the communist rebels as its gravest internal security threat . The Maoists , on the other hand , have claimed since the 1960s to be fighting for the dispossessed . Just about a week ago , India 's Home Minister P. Chidambaram acknowledged that more than 900 people , including almost 600 civilians , were killed in Maoist-related incidents in 2009 . Besides , some 200 suspected rebels were also slain as forces moved into areas under insurgent control , he said . `` However , I am confident that the state governments concerned will gradually gain the upper hand and re-establish the authority of the civil administration , '' Chidambaram told an internal security conference on February 7 . Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , however , conceded last year that the nation 's fight with the Maoists had fallen short of objectives . Maoists enjoy support not only in the poorest and tribal communities but also among youth and the intelligentsia , officials suspect . `` We have not achieved as much success as we would have liked in containing this menace , '' Singh said in September 2009 . `` It is a matter of concern that , despite our efforts , the level of violence in the affected states continues to rise . '' In 2008 , 1,591 Maoist rebel attacks killed 721 people , government officials say . In addition to targeting police , alleged police informers and people they call `` class enemies , '' the rebels are also believed to be attacking infrastructure such as roads , bridges , railways , and power and telecommunication networks .
NEW : At least 24 paramilitary troops and a civilian were killed in armed attack . The army said the attackers had been "neutralised" after they fired on security forces who responded with live ammunition. District official says Indian troops retaliated with fire , two attackers apparently died . Maoists have claimed since the 1960s to be fighting for the dispossessed .