It may seem strange that an army officer is in mourning when a Maoist dies. But that is exactly what has happened to Gen Ananta Bahadur Thebe of the East Division Command. In a battle in the east earlier this year, troops under his command killed his nephew who had joined the Maoists. The incident proves that brothers killing brothers is common in a fratricidal war like this. After the unsuccessful attack on the army post Bandipur earlier this year, the army triumphantly announced that it had killed 37 Maoist rebels. The attack coincided with three other raids on army bases in Sarlahi. Among those killed was the 20-year-old son of Gen Thebe's older brother, Samrat Thebe. Samrat had joined the Maoists while he was in Grade Nine in Taplejung in 2003, and by the time he was killed, had risen to the rank of section commander. Ten other Maoists from Thebe's home district of Taplejung were killed in battles earlier this year. Also in the Bandipur battle, Maoist sub-platoon commander Dibya Rai was killed while her elder sister, Sita was injured and captured. A picture of Dibya carrying an AK-47 was recently published in Nepali magazines.