Kathmandu, Dec 04: At least 18 rebels and six policemen were killed in separate clashes across Nepal in the latest operation against Maoists, officials said today. At least four insurgents were gunned down in Palpa district, west of the capital during a crossfire with the government troops yesterday, Nepal Defence Ministry said in a statement today. Fourteen rebels were killed in separate clashes in Solokhumbu, Rukum, Udayapur and other districts of the country, the Ministry said.
Meanwhile, six policemen were killed and ten others injured in a major clash between the security forces and the Maoist rebels in western Nepal, the state run news agency said today.
The policemen were killed at Khimadi area of Kailali district this morning.
Some Maoists were also killed in the fighting, a senior police official said. ''We have sent security forces in the area and the exact number of the deceased Maoists will be known only after the return of the security forces'', he said.
The injured policemen were flown to Nepalgunj for treatment. The fighting erupted when a group of security forces were mobilised for a search operation after the Maoist rebels increased their activities in the area, the police said.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by the Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting since 1996 to abolish Nepal's parliamentary democratic system and establish a Communist-style republic state.
More than 8,200 people have been killed since the insurgency began, including 1,200 since the Maoists unilaterally pulled out of peace talks in August and resumed attacks on government and civilian targets.
Bureau Report