Rebels Attack 4 Towns; Dozens of Police Killed

Hundreds of government troops took control of an area where Maoist rebels armed with bombs and guns attacked four towns in western Nepal, killing 48 policemen and six civilians, the government said. Security officials on the ground, however, said the death toll was nearly double the government figure.

Gun battles raged into the morning between rebels and the police after the attacks Thursday night on the interior security minister’s house, a police station, two banks and a bus in Dang district, about 190 miles west of the capital, Katmandu.