700 rebels killed, claims Rwanda army

Gisenyi - Rwanda's army said yesterday it had killed more than 700 rebels in the last three weeks in fighting with a group of…

Gisenyi - Rwanda's army said yesterday it had killed more than 700 rebels in the last three weeks in fighting with a group of ethnic Hutu militia who invaded from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwandan artillery pounded the hillsides along the border this week as helicopter gunships hunted surviving members of a group of militiamen who attacked north-west Rwanda in mid-May. "More than 700 insurgents were killed, more than 500 others were captured," Major General Kayumba Nyamwasa said.

Army officers on Thursday showed reporters about 300 men they said were captured rebels being held prisoner in the north-western town of Ruhengeri.