12 Maoists killed in Nepal, blockade continues - The Times of India

AP[ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005 01:02:33 PM ]

KATHMANDU: Maoist rebels set off a dozen bombs west of Nepal's capital, hitting schools, government buildings and a power station, while fighting with government forces in the east killed 12 guerrillas, police said Tuesday.

At least three civilians were wounded in the explosions on Monday, police said. The rebels lost 12 fighters in a shootout Monday when they attacked an army patrol near Dakaha village east of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, a police officer said Tuesday on customary condition of anonymity.

Soldiers fought the rebels for more than three hours, seizing weapons and ammunition from them, he said. The army reported no casualties.

The rebels, fighting for nine years to replace Nepal's constitutional monarchy with communist rule, have responded to King Gyanendra's February 1 takeover of the country with a blockade of the country's highways.

They have set off crude bombs, laid obstructions and forced the army to shift its focus to protecting commuters rather than fighting the rebels.

Separately, the rebels detonated several bombs before dawn on Monday in the town of Nepalgunj, about 500 kilometers west of Kathmandu, hitting several government buildings, police officials in the area said on Tuesday.

The officers declined to be named. The targets included at least five schools in and around Nepalgunj, one of the country's major cities.

A crude bomb exploded at the entrance of a medical college, wounding three people, police said. In many schools, students walked in on Monday to find live bombs in their classrooms, police said.

The rebels also hit a power station, interrupting electricity in at least three districts in the area. The battle is increasingly being fought along Nepal's highways, where the rebels are trying to obstruct traffic and choke off the cities.

The Prithvi Highway, which is crucial to the capital, is the worst hit. One of the few main arteries in resource-strapped Nepal, it connects Katmandu and cuts through the heart of the country, running south to India.

Its closure means essential supplies, such fuel, cannot move in. In the vast mountainous hinterland, fuel supplies were not reaching outlying areas because of the blockade, news reports said.

The Prithvi Highway blockade is also causing massive losses to businesses, mainly exporters who say they cannot move out their handicrafts and other exotic Nepali goods intended for Indian, American and European buyers.
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