Nepal Army defuses four bombs near girls school and Palace

Kathmandu, Aug 15: Army explosive experts defused four powerful socket bombs planted near a girls school and just 300 metres from the Royal Palace here today, Army sources said.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombs planted behind the Adarsha Vidya Mandir Girls Secondary school, but security officials believe Maoist rebels were responsible.
"Thank god we could defuse the socket bombs before they caused extensive damage to the school buildings or several hundred girl students who were to gather for beginning of classes," one security official said.
Elsewhere, a young woman was killed in the crossfire in an encounter between rebels and soldiers Wednesday night at Khamlung village in the far northeast of the country, an Army source said.
He blamed the rebels for firing on an Army post, which produced several skirmishes.

Guerrillas kidnapped five policemen late Tuesday who were asleep in a house at Jubhing market place in Solukhumbu district, 290 kms east of Kathmandu.

"It is not immediately known where those five policemen were taken by the Maoists," an Army source said.

The incidents came despite a ceasefire between the rebels and the government that began in January.

A third round of peace talks is due to open Sunday.
Bureau Report