Eight killed as Nepal rebels attack town, raid jail

KATHMANDU, Mar 6 (Reuters) Hundreds of Maoist rebels raided a town in eastern Nepal, bombing government buildings and freeing dozens of prisoners from a local jail, officials said today.

At least eight people -- three Maoists, two civilians, two policemen and a soldier -- were killed in the overnight attack in Ilam, a tea-growing area bordering India, about 600 km east of Kathmandu, they said.

The guerrillas, who specialise in hit-and-run attacks, drove into Ilam in buses and trucks, attacking government buildings and shooting at security posts, residents said.

''The Maoists also stormed the local jail and freed more than 100 prisoners including some Maoists,'' a police officer said.

He said the rebels, who are fighting to overthrow Nepal's constitutional monarchy, bombed or set fire to the district administration office building, the revenue office and the local municipal council office.

Analysts said the jail seemed to be the focus of the raid.

''They probably wanted to free some of their hardcore Maoists who were jailed there,'' said Rajendra Dahal, editor of the Himal magazine.

''We spent the night in terror,'' Ilam housewife Kamala Bhattarai told Reuters. ''We could hear gun shots and explosions for several hours.'' More than a dozen security troops were wounded in the fighting.

The rebels also set ablaze the home of the mayor who was elected in last month's municipal elections opposed by the Maoists, journalist Rohit Chandra Bhattarai said.

He said the fighting continued until dawn when an army helicopter was seen and the rebels sped away in buses. ''Many buildings in Ilam are burnt out and riddled with bullet holes,'' said another resident.

The Maoists, fighting since 1996 for a communist state, have stepped up attacks since they ended their unilateral truce in January after the royalist government failed to reciprocate.

Nepal's seven main political parties today appealed to the Maoists to call off plans for a blockade of Kathmandu next week and a nationwide strike later, saying the moves would hurt ordinary people.

The political parties, who have struck a loose alliance with the Maoists after King Gyanendra seized power last year, said they would start a new round of protests in April in their campaign for the restoration of democracy.

The Maoists have threatened an indefinite blockade of the hill-ringed capital from March 14, and a general strike next month to increase the pressure on the king.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the revolt that has shattered Nepal's aid dependent economy, one of the world's 10 poorest.

REUTERS OM PC2011