Banda Aceh – At least 24 people were killed in two days of violence in Indonesia's restive province of Aceh, rebels and reports said Thursday.

The first incident claimed the lives of 15 soldiers and policemen on Thursday when their truck was hit by a grenade during a skirmish in North Aceh, a deputy leader of the Free Aceh (GAM) rebel group told AFP.

"One military truck was blown apart by a grenade launcher killing 15 personnel and wounding dozen others," Abu Sofyan Muda told AFP from Pasee in North Aceh.

Muda said the incident happened after "an early morning raid in Matangkuli, Kotamakmur and Meurah Meulia sub-districts by 28 truckloads of police and military officers. "They initiated the attack, we were forced to defend ourselves. If they continue raiding on our headquarters, we will also carry out similar retaliatory attacks," Muda said.

However North Aceh police Senior Superintendent Kusbini Imbar, quoted by the Detikcom online news service on Thursday, denied there had been any casualties on the government side. "One thing for sure is that the attack was carried out by armed rebels," Detikcom quoted Imbar as saying.

The GAM deputy leader said he had obtained reports and details of the incident from "GAM people who were on the field and from GAM-linked military contacts."

Approximately two hours after the gunfight six people, including a woman in Beureugang village, were "arrested and taken away to Keude Amplah area in Nissam. "They were shot dead there," Muda said.

In a separate incident in Central Aceh two men were abducted on Wednesday evening in Bukit sub-district and were found dead on Thursday morning, the district's police chief, Superintendent Misik Nabari, told AFP.

Meanwhile, a resident of Bandar subdistrict in Central Aceh was shot point-blank in the head by unknown assailants on Thursday, residents there said.