Nepal claims large rebel losses

Maoist rebels began a campaign of overthrow back in 1996

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Officials in Nepal say at least 60 Maoist rebels, possibly many more, were killed Thursday in a battle with government troops in the west of the country.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Devendra Raj Kandel said troops were continuing to search for bodies Friday at the scene of the fighting in the district of Salyan about 450 kilometers (270 miles) west of Kathmandu.

He said six government troops were also killed in the battle, which began when rebels attacked an army post near the town of Damachaur late Wednesday.

The fighting took place in a remote area without roads or communications links.

Kandel said another 150-200 Maoists may have died in the fighting, but their bodies have not been recovered yet.

IN-DEPTH Nepal's Maoist Rebellion

According to government reports more than 500 rebels, fighting to topple the Himalayan nation's constitutional monarchy, were involved in the raid.

The Maoist rebels have been waging an increasingly bitter fight to install a communist republic for six years.

Since the revolt began over 4,700 people have been killed -- 2,800 of them since November when peace talks broke down and the government imposed a state of emergency.

Last month government soldiers raided a guerrilla training camp in Rukum district near the scene of the latest battle in which officials said over 200 rebels were killed.

There has been no independent confirmation of the death toll from the fighting and the rebels themselves do not usually comment on casualties.

The violence has deepened the woes of Nepal's aid-dependent economy, hitting tourism and business confidence in the scenic but poor South Asian country.