KATMANDU, NEPAL - Maoist rebels attacked a district headquarters and airport in northwestern Nepal, killing at least 102 people, including police and army soldiers, officials said Sunday. The assault was the rebels' deadliest ever. <br>
<br>
The attack began Saturday night, when rebels set fire to buildings in Mangalsen, the headquarters of Achham district, about 375 miles northwest of the capital, Katmandu, the interior security minister said. <br>
<br>
They then attacked police in the town, killing 49 officers, and assaulted a small airport in the nearby town of Sanphebaga. <br>
<br>
Forty-eight soldiers of the Royal Nepalese Army, stationed in Mangalsen as part of the government's military campaign against the rebels, were also killed, Defense Ministry spokesman Bhola Silwal said in a statement. <br>
<br>
The other people killed were the Chief District Officer Mohan Singh Khadka, the district administrator; an official of the central intelligence bureau and his wife; and an unidentified civilian.
