GULU, Jan 1: Fighting resumed between Ugandan troops and northern rebels of the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) on Saturday after a temporary truce to facilitate peace talks ran out, the army said.

President Yoweri Museveni said in a New Year message the army would now attack the LRA until it vowed to disarm.

"The (military) operations will not cease ever again until the Kony group irreversibly commit themselves to come out of the bush," he said, referring to LRA leader Joseph Kony.

During the past 18 years, the cult-like rebel group has abducted more than 20,000 children according to World Vision, forcing boys to fight and using the girls as sex slaves. More than 1.6 million people have fled their homes in the north.

The rebels routinely target civilians, burning and dismembering victims including women, children and babies.

LRA rebels attacked an army vehicle 16 km (10 miles) from this northern town shortly after dawn on Saturday and one soldier went missing during the incident, after the truce ran out at midnight (0900 GMT), military sources said.

Army spokesman Major Shaban Bantariza said: "The ceasefire has expired and we have begun (military) operations today at 7 am."-Reuters