Suspected rebels in northern Uganda have abducted two priests and others in a dawn raid on a Roman Catholic mission.

The two elderly Italian priests were kidnapped during a raid on the Opiti mission in Omoro county, about 40 km southeast of the regional capital Gulu, a priest told the French news agency AFP.

Lord's Resistance Army

Seeking to overthrow government since 1987 but officially on ceasefire since August Says it wants to rule Uganda under the Biblical 10 Commandments Leader Joseph Kony keeps numerous "wives", many of them abducted girls kept as sex slaves The group is notorious for abducting children to swell its own ranks, said to be about 4,000-strong

They struck at 0600 (0300 GMT), ransacking the mission and nearby settlements before leaving with the priests and a number of other people including five girls.

Uganda's army, which identified the rebels as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), said two rebels were shot dead by soldiers before the rest escaped.

The Italian Embassy in Uganda, Mauricio Teucci, named the abducted clergymen as Ponsiano Velluto, 71, and Alex Pizzi, 63.

The BBC's correspondent in Kampala, Will Ross, reports that five Ugandan girls who had been sleeping in the church were also taken away by the rebels.

The captives were reportedly used by the kidnappers to carry away looted telecommunications equipment and food.

'New target'

According to a Ugandan army spokesman, Major Shaban Bantariza, the raiders clashed with a smaller group of soldiers.

The army says it killed two of the raiders

"The rebels outnumbered our forces which were forced to retreat after a brief fight," he said.

"But before we retreated we killed two rebels."

Officials in northern Uganda quoted by Reuters news agency said they believed it was the first time in recent years the LRA had kidnapped priests.

Our correspondent notes that religious leaders have been meeting both the rebels and President Yoweri Museveni in recent weeks to try and move the peace process forward.

The army has since then accused the LRA of mounting violations, including the abduction of 78 people on 7 September.