| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Nepal Necropsies Numerated |
| 2004-12-17 |
| KATHMANDU - Nepal's military said at least 22 Maoist rebels died in clashes with soldiers in the kingdom's far west which is a guerrilla stronghold amid a new surge of violence. Military helicopters and troop reinforcements had been dispatched to the mountainous region to track down the guerrillas who are battling to topple the monarchy, an army official, who did not wish to be named, said. The official said 17 rebels died in a clash with troops in Dailekh district while five others died in Lamjung district when the army responded to an attack by hundreds of insurgents against a communications tower. Both districts are in the west of the poverty-racked country where the Maoists, who model themselves on Peru's ruthless Shining Path guerrillas, have a heavy presence. The army official said he had no word on the number of troop casualties. "The search for the Maoists is continuing by helicopter," the army official said. "The helicopters are needed because there are no modern roads in the region" about 400 kilometers (240 miles) from the ancient capital Kathmandu. The latest violence came after rebels attacked a group of soldiers in western Nepal Wednesday. The army said 21 troops and an estimated 36 rebels died in that clash while the Maoists said more than two dozen soldiers and six rebels died. Wednesday's army losses were among the heaviest in months. Thursday's clashes were accompanied by two bomb explosions, one on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu and the other in the Parsa district in south Nepal. The blasts, one of which targeted a soap factory, the other a municipal government building, caused damage but no casualties. Analysts see the attacks as an attempt by the Maoists to push the government to meet their demand for polls to be held for a constituent assembly that would draft a new constitution aimed ultimately at establishing a communist republic. "The Maoists are putting pressure on the government to meet their demands for constituent assembly elections as well planning an all-out assault on the army to mark the ninth anniversary of the start of their revolt," said Kapil Shrestha, who teaches political science at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. |
| Posted by:Steve White |