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Maoist uprising in Nepal : Deuba to seek military help from US, Britain |
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Nepal is holding talks with the US and Britain for military support to curb the Maoist uprising, but has ruled out allowing foreign troops on its soil for any joint operations, reports Krittivas Mukherjee.
Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba told a select group of journalists in Kolkata last week that the US and Britain have described the Maoist violence as terrorism and expressed concern over it.
“They too consider the Maoist activities as terrorism and have assured of their help in curbing them. We are trying to come to some kind of arrangement. But the talks are still in early stages,” Deuba said.
The Prime Minister, however, made no bones about receiving military support from India.
“The Indian government is very considerate to Nepal and has assured us of all help. It has promised us assistance in military training, equipment and intelligence sharing.”
To a question on whether he supported the idea of joint military operations with India, Deuba said: “We will not require any foreign troops on Nepali soil. This is our battle and we will fight it with our troops.”
Nepal is fighting a bloody uprising by Maoist guerillas who seek to end the country’s constitutional monarchy. An estimated 1,000 people have died in the Himalayan kingdom in the latest Maoist offensive that erupted in November and necessitated imposition of emergency.
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