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Kathmandu Saturday July 14, 2001 Ashadh 30, 2058.
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Army goes into
action against rebels
Several rebels reported killed, hundreds trapped
Post Report
KATHMANDU, July 13 – The Royal Nepal Army
(RNA) went into action today against Maoist rebels in the hills of western Nepal,
surrounding hundreds of rebels in their hideout in Nuwa village of Rolpa district, high
ranking government and army sources told The Kathmandu Post today.
The army action came early today as troops began
searching for the 71 policemen who were abducted by Maoist guerrillas on a raid at the
Holeri police post yesterday. Army officials in Kathmandu said that an RNA helicopter
ferrying troops to the site was fired upon by the rebels, triggering a gun battle.
There have been reports of death on the Maoist
side, but the reports remain unconfirmed.
Until late this evening, Defense Ministry
sources maintained that the rebels have just been surrounded and that the army hasn’t
yet started aggressive operation against the rebels. "But the main objective is to
free the abducted policemen unharmed as well as the looted weapons," the source said.
However, police sources said that around 55-60
rebels could have been shot dead already, which the Defense sources denied.
This is the first time that the RNA has been
engaged in a battle with the rebels who have been waging a violent people’s war in
Nepal for last six years.
Highly placed military sources confirmed that
the rebels first fired upon from treetops on an army MI-17 Russian helicopter that was on
a surveillance mission over the Rolpa jungles where the abducted policemen were hidden by
the rebels.
The chopper made a force landing at an army
barrack in Pyuthan after it was slightly damaged in the incident. RNA is said to have
immediately flung into action after that.
"The chopper is damaged," an officer
said. Three soldiers in the chopper were injured, including the co-pilot Binayak Singh, a
Second Lieutenant and a soldier who were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment later today.
Sources said that Captain Singh has been hit on the thigh, the Second Lieutenant has been
hit on the stomach and the soldier on his chest.
All three injured armymen have been admitted to
the capital’s Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni.
Army sources said that the soldiers who went to
Nuwa village as a part of the search operation finally managed to surround
"hundreds" of rebels in their hideouts. "The army is working to release the
abducted policemen." Nuwa VDC is located 15 kosh (approx 35 km) southwest - around
six hours walk - away from the district headquarters, Liwang.
"The army is strategically located, and
more reinforcements have been flown from the capital…Things look like the surrounded
rebels are looking for ways to negotiate with the army," a military source claimed.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Padam Kumar Acharya
denied any knowledge over the incident when he was contacted in his office this evening.
However, he confirmed that the RNA has been deployed for security reasons in seven
districts as per the objective of the Integrated Security and Development Program.
The seven districts include Kalikot, Gorkha,
Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Pyuthan and Jajarkot.
Sources within the Defence Ministry also
confirmed that the government has already given full authority to the army to disarm the
rebels in areas they have been already deployed.
"The army has been given the full authority
to attack, counter attack or take any actions in terms of disarming the rebels," the
source said. "The modality is also the same when retrieving the abducted
policemen," the source added.
According to Sudarshan Risal and KP Ghimire, our
district correspondent who visited the site of action, today’s event began as the
Maoists, numbering around 1,500, were preparing for a public program in Nuwa village to
celebrate their recent successful raids on police posts, including in Holeri. The program
was scheduled to be held in a local school on a hilltop, and the rebels had invited all
the villagers as well as reporters to attend. But before the program could begin, army
intelligence and surveillance teams got wind of the program.
The Maoists then "apologetically"
announced postponement of their program and asked the reporters to return immediately
citing fierce gun battle, our correspondents said.
Military sources said that soldiers were then
dispatched to the site and they immediately surrounded the hilltop from three
strategically located sites, blocking off the exits. This occurred even before all the
villagers could gather for the program, according to officers.
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