While the intended targets of the Maoists are security forces personnel, often civilians and animals become casualties in blasts triggered by pressure mines.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to completely clamp down on Maoist finances. However, it is possible to restrict the flow of money into their coffers.

Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal has a whole pile of problems lying unsolved at home. And he has only nine months, as set by his coalition partners, to deliver on his promises.

Winning hearts and minds through the Civic Action Programme (CAP) and the Media/Perception Management Plan is an important element in combating LWE propaganda.

The external linkages of the Maoists are wide, stretching from Latin America to South East Asia. These linkages have, essentially, given them visibility and propaganda, and very occasionally weapons.

Women join Maoist ranks for a variety of reasons: impressionable age, social milieu and circumstances, personal reasons, influence of kin or family and the inspiration of ideology.

At one point there were an estimated 800 children in the ranks of the Maoists. Variously known as Bal Dasta, Bal Sangh and Bal Sangham, they are used for intelligence gathering, carrying food and arms, and serving extortion notes.