Government troops in Nepal have killed six Maoist rebels in clashes in a western district which left a soldier injured, officials say. The clashes are said to have occurred during a search for rebels who took part in a deadly attack on an army camp in a neighbouring district last week. At least 70 soldiers and rebels were killed in the clash. It was some of the bloodiest fighting since King Gyanendra seized direct control of power in February. In a separate incident, suspected rebels set off a home-made bomb in the residential complex of a royal adviser, Sachit Shumsher Rana, in the capital, Kathmandu. The bomb caused minor damage and no has been hurt. Clashes between rebels and government troops have increased since King Gyanendra assumed direct control of the country in February, saying politicians had failed to tackle the insurgency. The clash earlier this week provoked the United States to warn Nepal's king to return the country to democracy or face a slide towards chaos. About 12,000 people have died in the 10-year Maoist campaign which is aimed at replacing the monarchy with a communist republic.