350 Rebels Reported Killed in Nepal

KATMANDU, Nepal —  Security forces killed at least 350 guerrillas in gun battles in western Nepal, the Defense Ministry said Saturday, in what could be the deadliest fighting in the rebels’ 6-year-old campaign to oust this Himalayan nation’s constitutional monarchy.

The bloodshed comes days before Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba travels to Washington to discuss the communist insurgency with President Bush. The administration recently asked Congress for $20 million in military aid for Nepal.

The attack by security forces on rebel camps and hide-outs in the Lisne area of Rolpa district, a guerrilla stronghold about 220 miles west of Katmandu, the capital, began Thursday and lasted until Friday night, the ministry said in a statement.

“The rebels have suffered heavy losses. Army soldiers and police have destroyed most of their training camps in that region,” Devendra Raj Kandel, the junior interior minister, said.

The death toll could not be confirmed independently. The rebels do not comment on battles.

The guerrillas, who are demanding sweeping land reforms and an end to the constitutional monarchy, draw their inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Tse-tung. Since 1996, fighting has killed more than 3,500 people, crippled Nepal’s aid-dependent economy and scared away tourists.

On Friday, the government said the army had killed 40 guerrillas. The death toll increased to 350 by Friday night as security forces searched for more hide-outs and killed more guerrillas, including several local rebel commanders, the government said Saturday.

Several rebels were also arrested during the army offensive in Rolpa, which came after the Maoists attacked security forces patrolling the area, the Defense Ministry said. Two soldiers and one policeman were also killed in the fighting.

Elsewhere, security forces killed six rebels in three shootouts Friday night, the ministry said.