India has provided Nepal with two military helicopters to aid the Himalayan kingdom's fight against Maoist rebels trying to overthrow the constitutional monarchy, the daily Kathmandu Post said on Wednesday. Nepal, which does not have an airforce, appealed to southern neighbour India and other nations for helicopters and weapons after it deployed its army for the first time to flush out the rebels, who model themselves on Peru's Shining Path movement.
"The Royal Nepal Army (RNA), in the ongoing operation against the Maoists, will use these five-seater helicopters," the newspaper said.
The helicopters can be fitted with machine guns and were needed to move troops and ferry supplies to soldiers hunting the Leftist rebels in difficult mountain terrain that has no roads, it said.
Defence Ministry officials in Kathmandu were not immediately available to confirm the report. Bureau Report