Rebels Kill 32 Officers in Nepal
Less than a week after their deadliest assault, Maoist rebels attacked a police post in the remote midwestern hills of Nepal and killed at least 32 police officers, authorities said today. The rebel attack in Sitalpati, west of the capital, Katmandu, began Thursday night and lasted into this morning.
The battle came a day after the army killed at least 48 rebels in the Achham and Doti districts in northwestern Nepal.
On Sunday, rebels killed 137 police officers, soldiers and civilians in an attack on the Achham district headquarters and a nearby airport. It was the deadliest attack by the rebels since their campaign to topple the constitutional monarchy began six years ago.
Nepal’s parliament Thursday extended a state of emergency by three months as the rebels planned a nationwide strike to celebrate the anniversary of their insurgency.
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba won the backing of his political opponents, who had demanded his resignation after the Sunday rebel attack.
The government also prepared for possible violence during the general strike, which the rebels called for today and Saturday.
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