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Kinshasa - The Democratic Republic of Congo's army killed 13 Rwandan Hutu rebels and took control of three of their strongholds in the east of the country, a colonel said on Monday.
The Congolese army seized the towns of Makola, Magembe and Kihungwe on Sunday morning following intense fighting, said Colonel Delphin Kahimbi, commander of operations in Sud-Kivu province.
The towns were "sanctuaries" for fighters of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) in the eastern province, where the army launched an offensive in July to kick them out, Kahimbi told AFP.
"The outcome (of weekend fighting) is very positive, very satisfactory for us because we handed them a heavy defeat," he said.
The colonel said 13 rebels were killed, three were injured and nine were captured while 18 weapons were seized after four hours of combat. Three soldiers were wounded, he said.
The toll could not be independently confirmed.
The dead include the commander of the three FDLR bases, Joseph Ilunga, Kahimbi said.
The FDLR is estimated to have 5 000 to 6 000 fighters.
Some took part in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi minority in Rwanda before crossing into neighbouring DR Congo. - Sapa-AFP
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