KATHMANDU, Aug 22: Maoist rebels killed a soldier, bombed government offices and kidnapped six policemen in a raid on a district headquarters in Nepal's far northwest, police said on Sunday.

More than 1,000 insurgents staged the attack on Saturday on Khalanga, district headquarters of Jumla district, with rebels and security forces clashing for at least six hours, police said.

The raid came as Maoists kept up a blockade of Kathmandu. The blockade has been maintained mainly by threats rather than military action. The Maoists Saturday vowed to expand their blockade to the Tibetan border.

The threat came a day after the government appealed to them to call off the blockade and resume negotiations to end the increasingly deadly insurgency which has claimed nearly 10,000 lives since 1996. -AFP