Nepal violence claims 49 lives including 11 security personnel
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Nov 17, IRNA -- At least 49 people, including 11 security personnel, were killed in renewed clashes that broke out between Nepalese forces and Maoist rebels after a ceasefire during the Hindu Festival of Light -- Diwali -- ended, the Nepalese Army said Tuesday. According to local press reports, Nepalese security forces gunned down 35 Maoist rebels and injured several others in a crossfire after an unsuccessful ambush attack by the rebels in Bhagawanpur jungle area of Kailali district, 700km west of Kathmandu, Monday night, said a release from the Public Relations Directorate of the Royal Nepalese Army in Kathmandu. Three soldiers and three policemen were also killed during the crossfire that lasted till early Tuesday, the army said. Nepalese forces foiled the attempt by some 200-300 rebels to destroy the entire group of security forces on patrol by triggering an ambush on their vehicle. The Maoists carried away 30-35 bodies of their dead comrades on two carts after the incident, in which many rebels also sustained injuries, said the army release. In a separate incident, the Maoists ambushed an army vehicle in Krishnabhir area on a national highway in Dhading district Tuesday morning, killing five security personnel. The incident occurred while the security forces were trying to clear roadblocks created by the Maoists during the first day of their two-day general strike in Dhading, in central Nepal, the release said. Maoists have been struggling to establish a communist-style government in Nepal to replace the constitutional monarchy. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the insurgency since 1996. 2160/2321/1432
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