December 07, 2001

KATHMANDU: The Royal Nepalese Army in their cordon and search operations have further intensified their action against rebels. In a press release issued today, the Ministry of Defence said that security personnel seized weapons, ammunition and explosives from them in different parts of the country on Saturday.

The Ministry of Defence said that the army encountered a group of rebels in a jungle in Bardiya.  The rebels were asked to surrender, but instead they fired on the army. In an exchange of fire, one rebel was killed.

Similarly, army personnel continued their search operation in Dang, Baglung, Chitwan, Gorkha, Bardiya, Bjojpur, Bhaktapur, Kaski and other districts of the Kingdom in which dozens of suspected rebels were apprehended.

Ministry of Defence said, security personnel also seized weapons, ammunition, bombs and other explosive substances from the rebels. In Suryabinayak of Bhaktapur and Bhojpur, security personnel discovered bombs planted by Maoist terrorists and defused them, the Defence Ministry said.

More than 250 terrorists have already been killed and about 200 arrested by army and police since the emergency was declared. Night curfew has been clamped in several districts to prevent untoward incidents.