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BOGOTA, Colombia, Tuesday (Reuters) Fighting between Colombian troops and leftist rebels killed 13 soldiers and injured 10 more the worst death toll for the U.S.-backed military since President Alvaro Uribe took office in August, the army said.

The clashes took place when guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- Latin America's oldest rebel force known as "FARC" -- ambushed an army column in an area of rivers and savannas near the village of Paz de Ariporo, in Casanare province, 167 miles (270 km) northeast of the capital Bogota.

There were no immediate reports of rebel casualties. The military sent fighter jets and helicopter gunships to the area, where fighting went on for 10 hours.

Uribe, who swept to power on pledges to contain a 38-year-old guerrilla war, has launched a military buildup under state of emergency powers he declared days after FARC rebels launched mortars during his inauguration ceremony in Bogota.

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