Communist rebels killed seven police officers and soldiers

(7 Feb 2006)
1. Pan left aerial view of the army camp
2. Smoke rising
3. Army walking with weapons
4. Wide of the damaged place with blood seen on the floor in the forefront
5. Soldier picking up a kukri knife with a red flag, sign of maoists
6. Soldiers examining damage
7. Army examining the damage
8. Relatives of victims crying
9. Close-up rifles on ground
10. Damaged car
11. Army surveying damage
12. Zoom out armoured vehicle passing
13. Pressure cooker bomb on the street
14. Damaged vehicle on street
15. Pan left, soldiers at post
STORYLINE:
Troops in Nepal have been given orders to shoot anyone who tries to disrupt municipal elections after overnight attacks by communist rebels left seven police officers and soldiers dead, officials said on Tuesday.
A rebel also was killed.
The attacks on the outskirts of Kathmandu came hours before a prominent newspaper published an interview in which the elusive leader of the Maoist rebels, Prachanda, said he could accept a constitutional monarchy.
He also suggested he was willing to consider a cease-fire, similar to the one abandoned by the rebels at the start of the year.
Nepal's royal government said Wednesday's polls are a step towards democracy, a year after King Gyanendra seized absolute power.
But a broad coalition of political parties oppose the vote, calling it a ploy to legitimise the king's rule, and dozens of politicians and activists have been detained ahead of the elections.
The Maoists have threatened anyone who takes part.
There are more than 4,000 candidates standing to be mayors and local officials.
Two candidates have already been killed.
Fearing Maoist attacks, the government has stepped up security nationwide in recent days.
In the capital of Kathmandu, soldiers could be seen patrolling on foot and in armoured vehicles.
The rebels often target the security forces, and in the first overnight assault, insurgents killed a soldier and a policeman and wounded 10 others in attacks on an army camp, police post and government buildings, said Sambhu Koirala, the chief administrative official in the area.
The fighting in Panauti, 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Kathmandu, began late on Monday and lasted through the night until army helicopters and reinforcements arrived on Tuesday morning to beat back the rebels, he said.

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