Blasts kill 12 policemen in Kathmandu

At least 12 policemen were killed and a dozen injured as five blasts rocked the Nepalese capital, sad the police.Inspector Mahesh Rawal, in-...

At least 12 policemen were killed and a dozen injured as five blasts rocked the Nepalese capital, sad the police.

Inspector Mahesh Rawal, in-charge of the Thankot area police post, was killed along with his 10 subordinates when armed Maoists in Army uniform attacked the post. The operation lasted less than half an hour.

One policeman died and eight were injured in the second blast near the temple town of Bhaktapur.The casualties, if any, were not known in the other three blasts — one at a municipal office in Patan and two others at Thimi and Thali, all near Kathmandu.

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In a separate attack, the Maoist also overran another police post in the Dadikot area of Bhaktapur district, around 20 km from the capital. At least six policemen were wounded and another seven missing, official sources said. The Maoist also attacked three other police posts, Boudha, Kirtipur and Lalitpur in the capital but no casualties were reported.

The successful Maoist attacks in the capital, owes so far going by the casualties comes as a major blow to the Royal regime which has ordered municipal elections on February 8, claiming drastic improvement in the law and order situation.