KATMANDU, Nepal, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- At least 60 Maoist rebels and six soldiers were killed in an overnight fierce gun battle in western Nepal.
A spokesman of Nepalese defense ministry said the gunbattle lasted seven hours in Rolpa district.
During the attack, the Maoists used weapons looted from Dang army barrack two weeks ago. The army later recovered three light machine guns and some other weapons.
"After last night's encounter in Rolpa, some 50-60 dead bodies were found scattered in the area ... the Maoists took away the bodies of some of their dead and injured comrades, which made the counting of exact number of deaths impossible", the Press Trust of India quoted defense ministry spokesman as saying.
Maoist rebels are fighting to replace the Himalayan Hindu kingdom's monarchy with a one-party Communist rule.
The Nepalese government last month declared an emergency and sent troops to quell the Maoist uprising, which has claimed more than 2,400 lives in the last five years.
