The Colombian army says it has killed about forty-five left-wing rebels in fighting near the capital Bogota -- one of the fiercest such clashes in recent months.

The authorities said fighting erupted after a a-hundred members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, or FARC, attacked a police station at Guayabetal, sixty kilometres east of Bogota. It said six members of the security forces were killed. The army sent in its newly-created rapid reaction force, including United States-supplied helicopters.

The attack came as the American Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, ended a visit to Colombia.

She was there to discuss a big new aid package to the country which includes additional helicopters.

Washington's aid is meant to help combat the drugs trade, but the BBC Correspondent in Bogota says US-supplied equipment is being deployed in areas where the rebels control the ground.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service