Some 80 soldiers and civilians and 120 guerrillas were killed in 42 battles between the insurgents and government troops, General Alfredo Salgado said after a meeting with outgoing president Ernesto Samper and Colombia's defence and interior ministers.

The new toll was sharply higher than previous estimates of some 35 people killed in a wave of violence just before Colombia's new president takes office.

Rebels of the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia (FARC) have targeted army and police posts throughout 17 of the country's 32 provinces in an offensive that began on Monday.