KATHMANDU, April 28: Eleven unarmed Nepalese soldiers were kidnapped by Maoist rebels on the same day they called a three-month ceasefire in their decade-long insurgency, the defence ministry said on Friday.

They were abducted in Leguwaghat, a hilly area of eastern Nepal, some 600 kilometres east of the capital Kathmandu.

“Eleven unarmed soldiers who were heading home on leave were abducted by the rebels” on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement. “All of them have been taken to undisclosed locations.”

The Maoist rebellion in Nepal started in 1996 and since then has left more than 12,500 people dead.

The Maoists announced on Thursday they would call a unilateral ceasefire, effective immediately, for three months, halting offensive operations against the security services.—AFP