Kathmandu, September 13:

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working “extensively” to facilitate the release of Royal Nepali Army (RNA) soldiers, whom the Maoists had captured after the clash in Pili on August 7. “The fact that Red Cross delegates are currently in Jajarkot has to be read as a part of an ongoing process aimed at facilitating the release of these detainees,” said Giuseppe Pogliari, a communication official at the ICRC office in Kathmandu.

The ICRC official further stated that precautions must be taken to ensure the security of the detainees and the ICRC delegates alike. “Information is therefore shared exclusively with the authorities concerned on both sides until the detainees are handed over safely,” officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross stated. While the Maoists claim to have captured 60 soldiers following clash in Pili, the Royal Nepali Army says 64 of its soldiers have been missing.