Jakarta – Soldiers shot and killed eight suspected rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province, the military said Monday, in the worst violence in the rebellious region for weeks.

The killings occurred during a gunbattle Sunday in the northern village of Krueng Aji, military spokesman Ari Mulya Asnawi said. Troops recovered four assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The fighting came despite a promise by newly elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to end the separatist conflict, offering rebels from the Free Aceh Movement amnesty and economic development if they drop their bid for independence.

A spokesman for the Free Aceh Movement couldn't be reached for comment.

It is impossible to verify the military's claims since it limits the movement of journalists in the province, and bars them from most rebel-held areas.

Guerrillas have been fighting since 1976 for an independent homeland in Aceh. At least 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including 2,300 since Jakarta launched its latest military offensive in May 2003. Both sides have been accused of widespread human rights abuses.