Improvement in security situation since Feb. 1: RNA

Addressing a special press briefing organized at the Royal Nepalese Army headquarters in Kathmandu Friday, director general of the Logistics and Operations Division of the RNA, Major General Kiran Shumsher Thapa, said the security forces had scored victory in their operations against the Maoist insurgents.

He said due to internal dissension the Maoists were in the defeated and wounded mentality. He warned that they could, hence, turn more aggressive in the days to come.

Addressing the briefing, Colonel Victor JB Rana, chief of the Operations Division of the RNA, said a total of 556 Maoist insurgents were killed during the on-going security operations since February 1, this year. He said 375 rebels had surrendered during this period and that security personnel had also recovered nearly 120 units of arms during the operations.

Making public RNA's assessment of the Maoists' strength, Rana said the CPN (Maoists) now had around 9,500 guerrillas, around 25,000 militias, around 14,000 political activists and around 100,000 sympathisers.

He said most of the arms the insurgents were using were obtained after attacking security bases. They were also (smuggling in) illegal arms from the southern open border, he said.

Rana, however, said more than 50 percent of the casualties the security personnel had suffered were due to improvised explosive devises (IED) used by the insurgents. Colonel Rana said the security forces had employed offensive strategies against the insurgents and that the insurgents were sticking to "hit and run" tactics as they did not have a permanent base area. "And, we will not allow that to happen," he added.

According to the RNA, over 2,100 security personnel had lost their lives during the nine years of insurgency while over 2,100 civilians were killed by the insurgents during the same period. The RNA has alleged that the insurgents have killed 136 children during the period.

Over 8,000 insurgents have been killed during country-insurgency operations during the period, according to the RNA.

The rebels have so far abducted nearly 22,500 people (majority of them have been released) while nearly 37,000 people have been displaced due to the insurgency, according to RNA.

Rana said the Maoists had not shown any inclination to return to the table of peace negotiations and they have concluded that the time is ripe for what they call "strategic offensive."

Rana said Nepali Maoists had links with extremist Indian organizations like ULFA, MCC, PWG and KLO. He said the Indo-Nepal Border Regional Committee of Bihar, India, was providing shelter, arranging medical treatment and supply of illegal arms to the Nepali Maoists.

The RNA has alleged that some of the insurgent groups that the Nepali Maoists have links are also affiliated to al Qaeda. But RNA officials said they did not have any concrete proof of such links. nepalnews.com by May 20 05

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