Kathmandu, Dec. 16 (Reuters): Nepali troops shot dead 22 Maoist rebels in gun battles across the west of the Himalayan country today, as violence spiralled a day after 20 soldiers were killed by the guerrillas.

The surge in fighting between the Maoists and government troops came less than a month before a January 13 government deadline for the rebels to join peace talks.

The insurgents have rejected the deadline. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the insurgency since 1996. Analysts said the rebel attacks were aimed to pressure the government into talks on the rebels? terms.

Seventeen guerrillas were killed in a battle in Naumule village in the hilly Dailekh district, a rebel stronghold 600 km west of Kathmandu Colonel Naina Raj Dahal said.

?There were hundreds of rebels holed up in trenches and bunkers in the compound of the village school,? Dahal said. ?They used mortars, machineguns and automatic rifles to attack an army search party of about 150 soldiers.?

The fighting began yesterday afternoon and flared up again today. ?We knew they were hiding there. We were tactically prepared for the attack. Besides, our troops are trained and that is why we have no casualties,? the colonel said.