Nepal rebels killed in clashes

KATHMANDU, Monday (Reuters) Nepali soldiers killed at least eight Maoists in weekend clashes, raising fears that fighting could resume despite a temporary rebel truce in a war that has killed thousands in the impoverished Himalayan nation.

The Maoists declared the unilateral three-month ceasefire in early September. It was an attempt to win the support of mainstream political parties opposed to King Gyanendra, who seized absolute power in February vowing to crush the revolt.

The latest clashes are the first reported since declaration of the truce, which the royalist government rejected, saying the Maoists could not be trusted.

The army said two rebels had been killed on Sunday in the eastern district of Tehrathum and six the previous day in a clash in Palpa district in west Nepal.