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Battle of Beni: The Maost Devastating Attack on March - 20, 2004
An in-depth analysis of the 2004 Battle of Beni, exposing Maoist strategy, state failure, and its lasting impact on Nepal’s civil war.
T he 2004 attack on Beni, the headquarters of Nepal's Myagdi district, stands as a seminal event in the decade-long Nepalese Civil War, representing both a pinnacle of Maoist military capability and a profound failure of the state's security apparatus. Occurring on the night of March 20, 2004, the "Battle of Beni" was not merely a localized skirmish but a calculated demonstration of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) transition from guerrilla warfare to a more sophisticated, positional combat strategy. This offensive, involving thousands of combatants and coerced civilians, fundamentally reshaped the political landscape of Nepal, accelerating the decline of the constitutional monarchy and catalyzing a shift in international military assistance that would eventually lead to the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord. To understand the Beni attack is to understand the nexus of revolutionary ideology, logistical audacity, and the profound humanitarian toll of a conflict tha…