Some 800 Maoists attacked the tower in the remote western district of Lamjung but were driven off by troops, an army official said.

The Maoists have been waging an increasingly deadly campaign to topple the monarchy and install a communist republic.

"The army unit repulsed the attacks," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The rebels suffered heavy losses but only five bodies were recovered as the rebels carried away the bodies on their backs."

The official said he did not know whether the army had suffered any losses.

On Wednesday rebels attacked a group of soldiers in western Nepal, where the guerrillas have a heavy presence.

The army said 21 troops and an estimated 36 rebels died in that clash while the Maoists said more than two dozen soldiers and six rebels died.

While an army source quoting local witnesses said: "The rebels suffered a heavy loss while many others were injured."

The army official in Kathmandu confirmed the clash between the two sides Wednesday morning at Arghakhanchi but did not give the number of casualties.

"We are waiting for detailed reports on the incident," the source said.

A Maoist source claimed that they captured around 20 automatic guns from the army. The rebels have been fighting for a communist republic in Nepal since 1996 and the uprising has so far claimed more than 10,000 lives.