"They continued to attack this morning, but we are holding our positions," Chea told AFP by telephone and claimed that his men were respecting a month-long ceasefire.

Chea said the Liberian government was also awaiting a response from the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which has been trying to end the four-year civil war, on the alleged rebel attacks.

"We are all at the negotiating table, I think ECOWAS should use their influence to call LURD and Model to stop their attacks," he said, referring to the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy main rebel group and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, another insurgent movement.

Chea said rebels had attacked loyalist forces in the northern town of Gollu, near the Guinean frontier, in the south-eastern port of Greenville and in the town of Kwendin.

"Fifteen persons were killed in Kwendin, (there were) five soldiers among them," Chea said.

"Lot of mortars were fired in Greenville," he said, adding that he feared "many casualties" as "we have been trying to encourage the civilians to go back" there.

On Sunday, Liberia's deputy chief of staff General Benjamin Yeaten told AFP that loyalist forces had been put on "maximum alert" on all fronts following attacks by two rebel groups.

"Our troops are on the highest level of alert," he said, adding that they were bracing for another rebel offensive on the seaside capital of Monrovia.

But Chayee Doe, deputy president of LURD, said: "We have no plans to attack the capital, but if they continue to attack us we will fight back."

The LURD launched its most audacious offensive on Monrovia last month, fighting its way to the heart of the city before pulling back to the edges ahead of the June 17 ceasefire painstakingly mediated by ECOWAS.

Soon after the truce was inked, rebels and government forces accused each other of breaking the accord but the LURD later declared a unilateral ceasefire to prevent the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Monrovia from worsening.

WAR.WIRE