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Shirish B Pradhan in Kathmandu
In the worst attack since they abandoned peace talks last year, Maoist rebels overnight killed over 50 security forces and government officials in Nepal's mid-western Achham district, which was reportedly under their control till late Sunday afternoon.
About 24 policemen and some 20 army personnel were killed in the surprise assault by thousands of rebels at different government offices, including the district administration office, district police office and the airport, police sources said.
Chief District Officer Mohan Singh Khatri, his wife and an intelligence officer were among those killed.
Reports said communication link with the district, 750 km from Kathmandu, has broken.
No rescue team could reach the site as the entire district was being terrorised by the Maoist rebels and explosions seem to have engulfed various areas, a police officer said.
There was no official confirmation of the death toll.
The government declared an emergency on November 26 and ordered the army to join the fight against the rebels after they ended a four-month-long ceasefire and resumed attacks on government targets.
Saturday night's attack came at a time when Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was seeking support from opposition parties in parliament to endorse the proclamation of emergency and to extend it for another three months.
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