70 Die as Fighting Intensifies in Nepal

Fighting between suspected rebels and security forces intensified in Nepal over the weekend, killing at least 70 people in separate attacks across the Himalayan kingdom, officials and media reports said Sunday.

Security forces attacked a rebel hide-out in Dailekh district, 225 miles west of Katmandu, the capital, killing at least 35 insurgents, state-run Radio Nepal said.

The fighting erupted Sunday when the rebels attacked an army patrol in the district, the radio report said.

Security forces retaliated and chased the guerrillas to their hide-out. No army casualties were reported.

In another attack, suspected rebels ambushed a police vehicle in eastern Nepal, killing at least 11 policemen and injuring four others, a senior police official said.

The vehicle was blown up near Jaleshwor, 250 miles east of Katmandu, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Elsewhere, 13 guerrillas were killed in two separate gun battles between army soldiers and rebels, the radio said, quoting unnamed officials.

On Saturday, government troops killed 11 suspected insurgents, including a rebel commander, in several clashes across Nepal, the Himalayan Times newspaper quoted unidentified defense officials as saying.

The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Tse-tung, have been fighting since 1996 to establish a communist-style republic.

More than 8,200 people have been killed since the insurgency began, including 1,200 since the rebels pulled out of peace talks in August and resumed attacks on government and civilian targets.