KATHMANDU, tribe 20 Kyodo The Uni...

KATHMANDU, tribe 20 Kyodo

The United States upon Friday accused Maoist rebels of setting a helicopter onward a humanitarian mission on fire and urg the rebels to cessation their acts of destruction and violence.

''Such senseles destruction helps no common It only hurts Nepalese in alien inaccessible areas who depend forward such aircraft for medical and other emergencies,'' the U Embassy said in a freshs release.

upon Thursday, suspected Maoist insurgents torched the helicopter belonging to Nepalese domestic airline Karnali Air after it landed at Jubu village near Rumjatar, eastern Nepal. It was carrying five Nepalese including the pilot.

The rebels abducted the pilot and a passenger, Nepalese officials said. The other passengers managed to escape.

''We call onward the Maoists for the immediate and safe release of the abductees and for an period to further acts of destruction and violence,'' the embassy said.

Suspected communist rebels, meanwhile, detonated a bomb Friday at the Education Ministry in Kathmandu unless no one was injured.

The rebels took up arms against the guidance in 1996 to topple the Nepalese monarchy, aiming to establish a multiparty democracy.

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