UN envoy holds talks with Nepali Maoists

Ian Martin, the representative of the UN High Commission for Human Rights in Nepal, said he held informal talks with Maoist leaders in the southwest of the Himalayan kingdom earlier this week.

While he did not come into contact with the guerrillas holding the soldiers, he said the Maoist leaders to whom he spoke "gave me assurances of not harming the armymen in their custody and releasing them."

However, Martin added, "I cannot fully rely on the Maoist assurances of not harming the armymen in captivity unless they prove it with deeds."

Human rights groups regularly accuse the guerrillas, who are fighting to overthrow the monarchy, and security forces of human rights abuses.

Martin did not identify the Maoists to whom he spoke.

His comments to reporters in Kathmandu came after the rebels said earlier Friday they had captured eight more soldiers, bringing the total they were holding to 60 as the army battled bad weather searching for the men.

The eight soldiers were caught Tuesday in the same remote western area of Sunday's clash, a faxed Maoist statement said, adding, "Now we have 60 soldiers in our captivity."

The troops "are being treated in a humane manner," the statement said.

The army has said 40 soldiers were killed by the Maoist rebels and around 75 soldiers were missing since guerrillas attacked an army camp near Kalikot town.

"Security forces are continuing to search for the missing soldiers," an army official told AFP, asking to remain anonymous.

Driving monsoon rains were hampering the search, the official said.

The army said Tuesday the 40 slain soldiers were lined up and shot in the head after the battle. But rebel leader Prachanda denied the charge that the troops were "inhumanely killed," branding it "baseless."

He also said the captured soldiers would be freed "at an appropriate time," without elaborating.

The Maoists, who took up arms in 1996 to turn poverty-stricken Nepal into a communist republic, have said 26 of their fighters died in Sunday's fighting.

The death toll of 66 would make it the deadliest battle since King Gyanendra seized power in February to crush the insurgency that has left 12,000 dead.

The casualty claim could not be verified, but analysts say the military appears to have made little headway against the rebels since the king's takeover.

Meanwhile, fourteen Maoist rebels were killed in the latest clashes with Nepal's army, days after a massive assault left at least 66 people dead, the army said Thursday.

Twelve rebels were killed in the southwestern Nawalparasi district and another two died in a separate exchange, a spokesman said.

"A group of armed rebels suddenly attacked a group of soldiers patrolling Belhini locality in Nawalparasi distict and in retaliation, the army shot dead 12 rebels," the senior southwestern army division official told reporters, adding that three soldiers were injured.