19 killed in western Nepal

Maoist rebels and army soldiers clashed overnight in western Nepal, leaving 19 dead in the latest flare-up in the communist insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom.

Ten soldiers and nine rebels were killed in the fighting, an army officer at the site said.

The clash took place near Pandon village in Kailali district, 280 miles west of the capital, Katmandu, the officer said. The bodies of the rebels had been recovered, he said.

Six security personnel were killed at the same place last week.

The rebels have been fighting since February 1996 to replace Nepal's monarchy with a communist state. The insurgency has claimed more than 10,000 lives.

Fighting between the rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and government forces has escalated since the guerrillas withdrew from a seven-month cease-fire last year.