Nepal shoot-out 'kills 21'

King Birendra: Forced to cede absolute powers in 1990

The authorities in Nepal say 21 people, including 12 policemen, have been killed in a gunfight between security forces and suspected Maoist militants.

Police said the dead included seven civilians - five of them children - and a police inspector. Two rebels were also said to have been killed.

The attack is reported to have taken place on Thursday at a remote checkpoint in Jajarkot district in the Himalayan foothills of western Nepal.

According to the reports, the civilians died when a bomb thrown by the rebels went off at a nearby house.

Bad weather

The authorities in the capital, Kathmandu, took some time to confirm the details because communications with the region were hampered by bad weather.

There was no word from the rebel group about the attack - the worst since the Maoist group started their campaign of violence more than four years ago.

Since then, more than 1,300 people - about two-thirds of them rebels - have been killed in Maoist-related violence.

The rebels want to set up a communist republic in the world's only Hindu kingdom.

Amnesty International and the United Nations have criticised both the government and the rebels for human rights abuses in the conflict.

Both sides are under international pressure to start a formal process of peace talks.