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| Friday, 5 March 2004 |
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At least 41 dead in eastern Nepal clash KATHMANDU, Thursday (AFP) At least 41 people were killed in a major gunfight between security forces and Maoist rebels in a town in eastern Nepal, the most serious clashes between the sides for months, the army said. Army spokesman Colonel Dipak Gurung said up to 2,000 armed Maoists raided the town of Bhojpur, headquarters of a district, attacked a telecommunications tower and tried to rob a state-run commercial bank. He said 31 security personnel and at least 10 Maoists died in the overnight clash, which began about 9:35 pm (1550 GMT) Tuesday. The rebels were prevented from taking over the town but damaged a bank and a telephone communications tower before fleeing, he told a press conference here. Gurung said the bodies of 10 Maoists were found at the scene of the clash, including those of two women. Other bodies were carried away by the fleeing rebels, he claimed. Security sources earlier said the fiercest fighting had occurred around the tower but that rebels had also battled the security forces in nearby areas to prevent reinforcements from reaching the site. |
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