Maoist rebels killed 159 Nepalese soldiers during a battle in the country's north-west, a rebel commander said Monday. "The People's Liberation Army fought for 11 hours since Sunday evening and killed 159 soldiers in Kalikot district" of north-western Nepal, the Maoist western division commander Prabhakar claimed in a statement Monday.
The statement was posted on the Maoist's website. However, Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) spokesman, Brigadier General Dipak Gurung, denied the rebel claim.