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Nepal Lays Siege to Rebels
Tuesday, May 7, 2002
(16:23 GMT) (17:23 UK)
The BBC

The latest battle has boosted troop morale.
Image Credit: The Associated Press.

The latest fighting came as Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived in Washington to seek US endorsement of his government's campaign against the rebels.

Nepalese security forces are pressing on with operations against Maoist rebels in the west of the country.

The authorities say hundreds of soldiers and policemen, backed by helicopter gunships, are besieging training camps and bases belonging to the guerrillas.

In a television broadcast, the army said nearly 550 rebels had been killed since Thursday, making it the bloodiest battle in the six-year insurgency.

There is no independent confirmation of the figure as the media and human rights groups have been barred from the conflict zone.

The London-based rights group, Amnesty International, called for an independent investigation into what it called "unlawful killings" by the army.

* 'Deliberate' killing
* Military aid
(More: BBC Online News Source)
2002 © The British Broadcasting Corporation.

Dan