Maoists in Nepal kill 13 securitymen, two civilians

In a major strike, Nepal's Maoist rebels on Monday ambushed an army patrol and triggered off two blasts killing 13 securitymen and two civilians.

This took place a day after they entered into a new pact with the pro-democracy political parties to oust the monarchy.

Maoists attacked an army partol which was engaged in clearing a road block, suspected to have been set up by the rebels in Dapcha area about 65 km east of Kathmandu.

In the ensuing gunbattle which lasted over an hour, 13 army men and one rebel were killed, sources at the army headquarters said in Kathmandu.

A rickshaw puller and a vegetable vendor were killed when Maoists exploded a bomb in Siswani Jahada villlage in Morang district, police said.

The rebels also detonated a powerful bomb at the office of the Division of Roads in Charikot in Dolakha district, but no one was injured in the incident.

Hours after reaching a new pact with political parties for fresh agitations to oust King Gyanendra's royal government and to restore democracy, the rebels called off yesterday their three-week-long highway blockade that had brought Nepal to a standstill.