 |
Kathmandu,Wednesday February 23, 2000 Fagun 11, 2056.
|
19 Maoist rebels killed
By a Post Reporter
NEPALGUNJ, Feb 22 - At least 18 Maoists and a policeman were
killed in Rukum and one more in Mugu Tuesday as police intensified operations in the
mid-western hill, three days after the rebels killed 15 policemen in neighbouring Rolpa.
According to police official, who preferred to remain
unnamed, put the toll at 19 upon returning here from Rukum Tuesday evening.
He said the rebels were killed in massive "search
operations" carried out by a 180-strong police force in and around Khumcheri and
Simrut areas in Rukum’s Khara Village Development Committee (VDC).
Likewise, a policeman was killed early Tuesday in an
encounter near Simrut Police Post in Rukum district.
The policeman has been identified as Ganesh Khatri of
Pipalgaun VDC, Rukum. He was part of a 13-member police team which was carrying out search
operation in Simrut area.
Officials said Khatri was killed by the rebels after he was
left behind by his team members who were way ahead of him firing bullets at the rebels.
His body was airlifted to Nepalgunj for post-mortem later
today.
In Rukum, the police team was going ahead with the operation
even after 8:30 pm Tuesday evening.
The team was dispatched from Nepalgunj to carry out the
retaliatory operation, two days after Maoist rebels killed 15 police, including an
inspector, in neighbouring Rolpa’s Ghartigaun in a powerful bomb explosion.
The incident which also saw several other police seriously
injured occurred in the wee hours Saturday, when the country was all set to witness
Democracy Day celebrations.
Some sources said most of the rebels killed in Rukum today
were attired in uniforms strikingly similar to that of police. Police have captured nine
rifles from them.
Officials said that the operations began from early in the
morning Tuesday, and were also carried out near Rolpa’s Iriwang, Pakhajani and
Pachhawang areas. Police could not furnish further details about the operations.
Also today, a team of senior police officials comprising
Additional Inspector General of Police Krishna Mohan Shrestha, and Nepalgunj’s Deputy
Inspector General of Police Rajendra Bahadur Singh returned here after completing their
visit to the Maoist affected areas of Rolpa, Rukum and Jumla districts.
The officials could not be reached for comment.
More than 1,100 people have been killed during the last four
years of Maoist insurgency. Of them, around 800 are Maoists, more than 100 are police
personnel while almost 200 are "common men" - a good number of Nepali Congress
workers forming the last category.
The "People’s War" launched by underground
Communist Party of Nepal - Maoists entered its fifth year on February 12.
Other Stories
|
