Communist rebels attacked government bases in a town near the Nepalese capital, killing at least two security forces and wounding 10 in the overnight assaults, officials said on Tuesday.
The rebels raided an army camp, police post and government buildings in Panauti, only 30 kilometres (20 miles) east of Kathmandu, in fighting that began late on Monday and continued on Tuesday morning, when army helicopters and reinforcements arrived to assist government troops.
One army soldier and one policeman were killed, and 10 were wounded in the violence, said Sambhu Koirala, the chief administrative official in the area.
Maoist rebels have intensified attacks in their attempt to foil government plans to hold local elections on Wednesday, and have called a nationwide general strike for the entire week to disrupt the polls.
The elections for mayors and ward council members -- posts with little power and few responsibilities -- have been billed as a small, but symbolic step back toward democracy a year after King Gyanendra seized absolute power.
The government has given assurances it will tighten security but rebel attacks have continued.
The rebels, who have been fighting since 1996 for a socialist state, have already been blamed for killing at least two candidates and attacking several others.
King Gyanendra seized absolute power last February, saying he needed the authority to quell the insurgency, which has taken 12,000 lives in the past decade. The royal government has since rounded up hundreds of opposition politicians and activists.
{{/usCountry}}King Gyanendra seized absolute power last February, saying he needed the authority to quell the insurgency, which has taken 12,000 lives in the past decade. The royal government has since rounded up hundreds of opposition politicians and activists.
{{/usCountry}}