Nepal turns up heat on rebels

The army says it made significant progress in the war

The authorities in Nepal say troops on the ground and helicopters in the air have killed a large number of Maoist rebels in continuing assaults on rebel bases in western Nepal.

We estimate around 650 rebels have been killed since Thursday

Achhyut Wagle, adviser to the prime minister

The attacks are concentrated on suspected rebel bases in the remote hill regions of Rolpa and Pyuthan where, six years ago, the insurgency is thought to have begun.

Hundreds of soldiers and policemen, supported with aerial firepower from armed helicopters, continued their offensive against the Maoists, after intense fighting on Sunday night.

Officials say these operations, launched last Thursday, have dealt a severe blow by killing possibly hundreds of rebels.

Some official claims have in the past proved to have been exaggerated, and with no comments being made by the Maoists themselves, these figures can not be independently verified.

Major victory

Nepal prime minister's adviser Achhyut Wagle said on Monday the exact casualty figures could only be known once the troops returned to their bases from the mountainous area of operation.

Mr Deuba's strategy may be paying off

However, he said judging from the bodies recovered, and signs of other bodies that were "dragged away by the rebels", a major defeat had been inflicted on the Maoists.

"We estimate around 650 rebels have been killed since Thursday," he told the BBC, "of them, over 200 were killed in Sunday's operations which continued overnight."

The defence ministry says an accurate assessment of the losses inflicted on the rebels has been hampered by difficult terrain and bad weather.

But citing circumstantial evidence, it said at least 350 rebels may have been killed in the current assaults.

Nepalese newspapers say as many as 600 Maoists may have been killed in what appears to be the largest single offensive against the Maoists in the six years of the insurgency.

The army says its soldiers seized training manuals and food supplies from rebel bases.

Human rights groups have expressed their fears for the safety of civilians in the area and have asked for access to them.

Increased credibility

Correspondents say this reported success would strengthen Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's position in his talks with US President George Bush on Tuesday, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair later in the week.

The conflict has claimed thousand of lives

Mr Deuba left Kathmandu for the US on Sunday and plans to seek both military and economic aid to crush the rebellion and rebuild Nepal's fragile economy.

During a recent visit to Nepal, US Secretary of State Colin Powell promised unspecified help to Mr Deuba's government.

Now, with some visible success in the campaign against the rebels, Mr Deuba's plea for assistance would carry more weight in Western capitals.