 Some 150 Maoist guerillas died in fierce fighting with security forces in Nepal's remote southwest yesterday, a top army official said. The battle, in which the senior army official said security forces attacked on the ground and from helicopters, was one of the bloodiest in months. "In a clash with the security forces, at least 150 rebels were killed and over 30 injured" in Kailali district in the far southwest, the army official, who did not wish to be identified, said.
| That's a lot of dead Maoists. |
There was no immediate comment on casualties from the Maoists who have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. The army official said soldiers ambushed some 500 rebels, staging a ground and helicopter offensive, as the guerillas were about to attack an army post at Bankhet base some 380km southwest of Kathmandu. He said fighting was continuing at last report from the far-flung area where the rebels have a heavy presence. "The army has recovered the bodies of 30 rebels while the other bodies have been carried away by their comrades," the official said.
| So, so it's only 30 dead. Rats. |
The army official said that there were no deaths among security forces in the clash at Masuria but eight were injured. |