Nepal PM on crucial US visit

A state of emergency has been in place since November

The Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, is travelling to the United States to cement American support for his government's war against Maoist rebels.

From US, we need material assistance such as weapons, equipment and training to fight the terrorists and financial assistance to fight budgetary constraints

Prakash Sharan Mahat, Advisor to PM

The visit comes as up to 400 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in fresh clashes with security forces in western Nepal.

Mr Deuba will meet President George W Bush later this week.

Officials said terrorism and security issues would dominate the talks between the two leaders.

Mr Deuba would visit London on his way back and hold discussions with Prime Minister Tony Blair.

More than 3,000 people have died in six years of fighting in Nepal - more than a third of them since the Maoists walked out of peace talks with the government last November.

US aid

The Bush administration has asked Congress for $20m in unspecified military aid for the Nepalese government.

Insurgency will dominate the talks

Some observers said the US was also expected to announce military supplies and training for Nepalese army.

They said the supplies would depend on the assessment made by an American team during a visit to conflict areas in Nepal recently.

Nepalese officials said the military needed more sophisticated weapons and logistic support to bolster their operation against the rebels.

Nepal has been under a state of emergency since November last year when the rebels pulled out of peace talks and launched an offensive on the security forces.

Both the sides have suffered heavy casualties in clashes since then.

Latest battle

Hundreds of rebels are reported killed in the latest round of the battle.

Security forces are fighting back after rebel successes

So far there is no independent confirmation of the government's casualty figures, but security sources insist there have been major successes in recent days against rebels in one of their strongholds in the west of the country.

Some reports suggest the army used helicopters to attack a meeting of Maoist leaders.

However, there has been no independent confirmation.

Human rights groups say it is difficult to assess such claims without access to bodies and battlefields.

But ministers are treating this as a major success for the government's campaign against the rebels, who have recently renewed an appeal for peace talks.