88 Maoist rebels killed in Nepal, officials say

KATMANDU, Nepal -- At least 88 rebels were killed in clashes with government troops in western Nepal in the past four days, the defense ministry said Sunday.

Ministry spokesman Bhupendra Poudel said 11 rebels were killed Saturday during intense fighting in Mahadevpuri village in Banke district, about 312 miles west of Katmandu.

In scattered fighting elsewhere, 27 guerrillas were shot dead on Friday and Saturday, Poudel said, adding that there were no casualties on the government side.

And, "at least 50 rebels were killed in the clashes with our soldiers at Khara village on Thursday," Poudel said. The area is nearly 250 miles west of the Nepalese capital.

The government routinely reports high rebel battle casualties and low army losses. Casualty reports cannot be independently verified, as gunbattles often occur in remote mountain areas closed by the authorities to outsiders. The rebels, in hiding, generally do not comment on the fighting.

Clashes between the government and rebels has intensified in recent months, with the army joining police in a campaign to root out rebel fighters from strongholds in remote mountainous areas.

More than 4,000 people have been killed since 1996, when the rebels began fighting in a bid to abolish Nepal's constitutional monarchy. The rebels draw their inspiration from the Chinese revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong.