A stand-off with Maoists continued for the fourth day Monday as security forces demanded the release of 71 abducted policemen and surrender of looted weapons from a police post in Rolpa district, official civilian and military sources said.
The surrender of an estimated 1000 rebels who abducted the policemen 650 kms northwest of the capital Thursday is not a pre-condition before forces could launch a possible search and destroy operation, a study of conditions indicated.
Military and police and preparing to launch “new measures” to free the hostages if the conditions are not met. Forces tightened a cordon around the rebels holding abducted policemen and villagers of Nuwa as human shields in Rolpa district in drenching rain Monday to secure their objective as they observe and monitor the activities of the insurgents, official sources said Monday.
Locals are co-operating with the security forces, state owned Radio Nepal said. In an obvious effort to win over the people, the military will run an eight day health camp in the district from Wednesday, an announcement said.
Maoists previously declared the district a base and liberated district among the kingdom’s 75 administrative districts. Officials denied rebel claims that some of the trapped Maoists had broken the cordon for their freedom or that military had withdrawn from the rebel held area.
This is the first direct military operation against Maoists in more than five years of insurgency that has claimed more than 1,700 lives. The military intervened after rebels intensified attacks against targets nation-wide in the last fortnight.
The government has slapped a blackout of independent news about the operations as a group of journalists were expelled from the area Sunday. Independent confirmation of both government or rebel claims are almost impossible.
Rebel claims come through statements of underground leaders faxed to news organizations or reports in periodicals sympathetic to them. Government has denied claims that there were several dozen casualties in the operation.