At least 70 Maoist rebels have been killed in clashes with government forces in Nepal, the army says.

Four soldiers and some policemen are also said to have died in the gun battle which took place in two districts close to the Indian border.

Correspondents say the clash is one of the heaviest in recent weeks.

It comes after Nepal's King Gyanendra dismissed the previous government and assumed direct control of the country a month ago.

The latest attack in the Bardiya district is said to have taken place after the rebels attacked security personnel attempting to remove a roadblock set up by the rebels.

Eyewitnesses say military helicopters provided back-up support to the ground forces as they retaliated.

"So far the security forces have recovered the bodies of at least 70 Maoists killed in the clash," army spokesman Brigadier General Dipak Gurung told the AFP news agency.

He said many more rebels may have died.

Three security personnel were killed while six others, including two civilians, are said to have been injured.

Violence escalating

In a separate incident in the nearby Kailali district, the authorities say four rebels and a policemen died in a gun battle that took place after the Maoists attacked a security patrol.

There have been no comments from the Maoists on either clash.

On Sunday, the rebels killed 12 soldiers and policemen in three separate attacks across Nepal.

A day earlier the rebels lifted a two-week blockade of the country's major highways.

Rebel leader Prachanda said the move was to ease the suffering of ordinary people but added that the rebels would step up their "armed resistance".

Nearly 11,000 people have died since the Maoist insurgency began in 1996, aimed at replacing the monarchy with a communist republic.

PHOTO CAPTION

Nepalese soldiers patrol a busy market in Katmandu, Nepal, Sunday Feb. 27, 2005. (AP)