In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the military says it has killed almost sixty rebels. The offensive took place in the northeastern Ituri region in a three-day raid backed by UN troops. The military says the rebels are part of the Ituri Patriotic Resistance Front, an armed group thought to have given up most of its weapons in a demobilization program earlier this year. A spokesperson for the UN office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs said thousands of civilians have fled villages near the fighting. Since 1999, clashes between militias in the area have killed more than 50,000 and forced half a million people to flee their homes.