BOGOTA: Nine soldiers were killed and four wounded in pre-dawn clashes with leftist guerrillas in southwestern Colombia, a military spokesman said Tuesday.

An unknown number of Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels were also killed in the fighting, the spokesman told AFP.

The soldiers stopped the guerrillas from capturing the town of Corintio, in Cauca department, the spokesman said.

Colombia news media said that some 30 guerrillas were killed when a force of 200 rebels tried to take over the town.

Corinto Mayor Gilberto Munoz said in a radio interview that no town residents had been killed.

The FARC, founded in 1964, is active mainly in southern and eastern Colombia. It is believed to currently have between 6,000 and 10,000 guerrillas.