The Chhattisgarh government has selected a Colonel of the Indian Army to head the Special Task Force to be deployed for anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar region of the state.

Colonel Rajnish Sharma, who has been selected to command the STF, was expected to join Chhattisgarh Police soon as a Deputy Inspector General, official sources said.

The STF, which will be similar to the 'Grey Hounds' of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, will be imparted advanced training in commando operations and jungle warfare to take on the Maoist rebels in the dense forests.

The STF, comprising about 900 personnel, will be under the fifth battalion of the Special Armed Force, the sources said, adding that Col Sharma of the Rajput regiment had vast experience in counter insurgency operations.