Nepali soldiers shot dead 10 Maoist rebels on Thursday in the deadliest battle since a guerrilla ceasefire ended this month, an army officer said, according to Reuters. He said the rebels were killed in a "retaliatory action" by the army after the guerrillas fired on a military patrol in Syangja in west Nepal. "We have 10 rebels confirmed dead and soldiers also seized two rifles, crude bombs, materials used to make land mines and Maoist documents," the officer told Reuters. The anti-monarchy guerrillas fighting for a communist state have a strong presence in Syangja, about 225 km (140 miles) west of Kathmandu.
