Zimbabwean military commanders say they have freed 3,000 of their troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo who had been trapped by a rebel siege for the past six weeks.

The commanders said they had inflicted a military defeat on rebels surrounding the Congolese town of Ikela, and had already flown in fresh supplies to their troops there.

But there is no independent confirmation of the commanders' reports.

The Zimbabwean army has given no casualty figures resulting from the Ikela siege, which took place in the centre of DR Congo, close to the line of control between government and rebel forces.

The siege has been an important stumbling block in recent negotiations aimed implementing the Lusaka peace accord which was signed last year and which was intended to end the civil war in DR Congo.

The Zimbabwean soldiers are part of a 10,000-strong force which is fighting to defend the government of President Laurent Kabila.

Earlier reports of the number of Zimbabweans trapped at Ikela ranged from 700 to 2,000.