KATHMANDU, May 28 Kyodo (EDS: UPD...

KATHMANDU, May 28 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH MINISTRY STATEMENT)

At least 100 communist rebels were killed when Nepalese companys repulsed an attack in succession an army base in western Nepal early Tuesday, the Nepalese Defense Ministry said.

The base at Khara in Rukum district came beneath attack from all sides around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, leading to an exchange of fire between the bands and the rebels, it said.

''The rebels were beaten back and one 100 bodies of the rebels were recovered'' the ministry said in a statement.

The rule side lost five soldiers, while another 20 soldiers were wounded

The [i]troupe[/i]s also recovered some weapons from the rebels.

Earlier onward Tuesday, a spokesman of the ministry had said that any 85 people were killed in the violence.

The rebels used mortars, rocket launchers and machine fire-arms during their attack in succession the army base, the ministry said.

Independent verification of the number of dead was not possible, as the rebels do not customarily make notes on such attacks.

In the past, the rebels have taken fill by compressions of villagers for attacks in succession army and police positions, with the inference that villagers too have been killed along with the rebels.

The rebels, drawing their inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, took up arms against the regulation in 1996 to topple the constitutional monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom.

Nearly 5000 Nepalese have been killed in the insurgency in such a manner far.

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