Kathmandu, May 03: The Royal Nepalese Army said today it has launched an operation to round up Communist rebels in the Himalayan kingdom's Midwest following reports that guerrillas were planning a major attack. The operation began Thursday in Rukum district, about 400 kilometers west of the capital, Kathmandu, and in a half dozen other districts known as Maoist rebel strongholds, army spokesman Rajendra Thapa said.

“The operation is to break the so-called base area of the rebels," he said. He refused to say how many soldiers were involved. But officials speaking on condition of anonymity from operation headquarters in the southwestern border city of Nepalgunj said hundreds of troops have been deployed. The operation will provide rebel fighters with an opportunity to surrender to the authorities, Thapa said. The government says more than 900 rebels have surrendered since it announced an amnesty in December last year.

No major clashes between the troops and the rebels were reported.

The operation follows information that guerrillas had gathered in the area, which is largely rebel-controlled to launch a major attack. Thapa did not provide details, although rebels sometimes stage attacks on government offices, military bases and police stations in district capitals. Bureau Report