( CNN ) -- Suspected Maoist insurgents killed nine policemen during an ambush in eastern India , authorities said Tuesday . A 10th officer is missing . The attack took place Monday in a remote area of Gariaband in Chhattisgarh state when the officers were on their way to search a house as part of anti-Maoist operation , said state police spokesman Rajesh Mishra . Their truck broke down , and they were attacked as they were waiting for a second vehicle to arrive , he said . About 10 days ago , seven officers were killed when they were ambushed as they were returning from routine patrol , Mishra said . `` It 's a war-like situation here , '' he said . The Maoist movement is considered by the government as India 's greatest internal security threat . The Maoist guerrillas are called Naxalites after Naxalbari , a village in neighboring West Bengal state where they originated in the late 1960s . Officials say the Naxals aim to seize political power through what they call a protracted people 's war . For their part , the insurgents have claimed since the 1960s to be fighting for the dispossessed . Over the years , they targeted Indian security forces in several impoverished eastern Indian states that have become known as the `` Red Corridor . '' The slow-churning unrest has killed about 2,000 people .
The officers are attacked after their vehicle breaks down , police say . 10 years ago , another attack killed seven policemen . India considers the Maoist movement its greatest internal security threat .