Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Soldier killed in Nepal violence
Kathmandu, Aug. 22. (AP): Communist rebels attacked a mountainous town in northwestern Nepal overnight, killing at least one soldier and bombing several government buildings, officials said Sunday. Five policemen were missing.

Hundreds of rebels surrounded Khalanga, 600 km northwest of Kathmandu, around midnight and bombed the police station, the and revenue office and an administrative office, an army official said.

The attack closed the airstrip and knocked down communication lines.

Fighting between the rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and government forces has escalated since the guerrillas withdrew from a seven-month cease-fire last August.

The rebels have been fighting since February 1996 to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state. The insurgency has claimed more than 9,500 lives.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/003200408221001.htm