Nepal Army Kills 17 Maoist Rebels
At least 17 Maoist rebels were killed in a new clash with soldiers after last week’s assault on two security posts in which more than 300 people are believed to have died, state radio said today.
Radio Nepal said soldiers recovered weapons and bombs after the gun battle late Sunday in Murkatti, near Dang in western Nepal, where last week’s rebel attacks took place.
King Gyanendra earlier Sunday appealed for an end to the increasingly deadly battle to topple him.
All Nepalese must “unite in widening the base of mutual confidence and understanding through democratic exercise,” he said.
Nepal is under emergency rule as Gyanendra and his government try to crush Maoist rebels who control about a quarter of the country and are seeking to create a one-party communist state.
Authorities fear that more than 300 people were killed last week in two of the bloodiest attacks of the six-year rebellion, including dozens of police officers who were forced to strip before being executed.
About 100 bodies have been recovered.
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