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| Two British, three Nepalese army officials released |
| 21-Oct-2003 |
Two British and three Nepalese army officials abducted by Maoist rebels as they recruited young fighters for Britain’s famed Gurkha regiment have been released, state-run radio said Tuesday.
Radio Nepal said the five, who were snatched late Sunday, had been set free.
The military had sent troops and helicopters to scour the kingdom are mountainous west to find them.
The recruiters were abducted as they camped outdoors at Lekhari, a remote village in the Baglung district, 290 kilometres (180 miles) west of Kathmandu, where modern communications and transport do not exist, an army officer told AFP.
A source in contact with the Maoists had earlier said the hostages would not be harmed but were being interrogated about the Gurkha recruitment.
“The five are safe under Maoist custody and are being properly taken care of. They will be set free after getting the necessary information from them,” the Maoist source told AFP. The Maoists are fighting to overthrow the monarchy and want to abolish Britain’s two-century-old Gurkha programme.
It was the first time the Maoists are known to have kidnapped foreign nationals in their seven-year insurgency that has claimed more than 8,200 lives.
The far-left rebels ended a ceasefire on August 27 after seven months when the government refused to set up a special assembly to redraft the constitution. —AFP
More than 8,000 people have died since Maoist guerrillas began an armed struggle to rid Nepal of its monarchy in 1996. The BBC said bombings; ambushes and kidnappings have escalated following a seven-month ceasefire.
Monday's incident is believed to be the first involving the kidnapping of foreign nationals.
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