RAIPUR: At least 13 Maoist rebels were killed in gunbattles with security forces in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, a government minister said. The clashes took place on Thursday in two remote districts. Paramilitary troops and police raided a village in Dantewada district, 520 km (320 miles) south of Raipur and shot dead 10 rebels in a three-hour gunbattle, said Home Minister Ramvichar Netam. Five rebels were arrested, he added. In a separate clash, 420 km northeast of Raipur, police killed three Maoists and seized several weapons. Chhattisgarh has been most affected of the 13 Indian states hit by Maoist insurgency that began more than three decades ago to fight for the rights of poor peasants and landless labourers. At least half of Chhattisgarh's 16 districts have a presence of the Maoist guerrillas and over 170 civilians have been killed in the state since January, according to official figures.