“Sixty Maoist rebels were killed in a fresh clash with the security forces at Dalphing in Rukum district on Wednesday,” the army said in a statement, adding the Maoists had suffered “yet another heavy” defeat.

The fighting came less than a week after almost 150 rebels were killed and another 300 were wounded when they attacked an army base in Khara village in Rukum district about 400 kilometres west of Kathamndu.

It was the heaviest clash between the two sides since King Gyanendra dismissed the government and imposed emergency rule in the poverty-stricken Himalayan kingdom on February 1, saying the move was necessary to tackle the revolt.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Maoist high command confirmed the rebels’ heavy losses in the Khara clash without giving the number of casualties, but claimed the Maoists had learned good fighting experience from the fighting.

An army official also said at least three security men were killed and seven others were injured in the Khara fighting that lasted more than 18 hours between Thursday night and Friday morning last week.

In a separate incident, five more rebels were killed in an armed clash on Wednesday at Sabukhal locality in Arghakhanchi district, 300 kilometres south west of Kathmandu, an army press release said. AFP