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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia, Thursday (AFP) Indonesia said Thursday it has sent hundreds more troops to support its attack on separatist rebels in Aceh, amid reports of a mounting death toll from the four-day-old offensive.

The military said 325 military policemen and about 300 men from support units left for Aceh late Wednesday aboard two warships. Indonesia on Monday launched its biggest military operation in a quarter-century to try to wipe out the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) following the breakdown of last-ditch peace talks in Tokyo over the weekend.

There have been no reports of major pitched battles but witnesses have reported an increasing death toll.

Residents said the military killed a total of 18 people in two villages in strife-torn North Aceh on Wednesday and AFP staff saw 11 of the bodies. It was not possible to determine whether they had been GAM members.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Yani Basuki confirmed troops killed 10 people in one of the villages but said they were rebels. He said he had no information from the other village.

Basuki said the rebels died in a clash which broke out after a suspected GAM member fled following his detention by troops. GAM military spokesman Sofyan Dawood, in a statement to AFP in Jakarta, said troops killed 28 civilians Wednesday. The military was not immediately available for comment.

The Indonesian military chief General Endriartono Sutarto has promised to try to minimise civilian casualties but vowed to "exterminate" rebels if they refused to surrender. Past military and police offensives were marked by gross rights abuses. Crack troops have been deployed to guard schools and other public buildings after a wave of arson attacks on schools began Monday.

Education official Anaz Muhammad Adam said 248 schools had been torched as of Wednesday evening, mostly in the rebel strongholds of Pidie and Bireuen in North Aceh. At least 60,000 children have nowhere to learn.

The army says GAM is trying to divert government troops from combat operations to guard duties. The rebels deny responsibility for the arson.

The United Nations humanitarian office appealed to all parties to spare schools and said it would send 300 emergency school kits and 50 tents to the province on Sumatra island. Martial law chief administrator Major General Endang Suwarya said rebels set fire to a local state broadcasting station in addition to the schools. He ordered his men to shoot arsonists on sight. A provincial welfare official Burhanuddin said 10,000 people had fled their homes so far.

The rebels have waged a 27-year battle for independence in which some 10,000 people have been killed.

Jakarta says GAM's refusal at the talks in Tokyo to drop its independence demand prompted the assault.

Up to 30,000 troops plus 10,000 police are confronting some 5,000 guerrillas. Aircraft and warships are also deployed.

The army and navy have launched an attack on Pulo Nasi and Pulo Aceh islands, 30 kilometres (19 miles) off Banda Aceh, following reports that some 200 rebels are hiding there, district military commander Letkol Heboh Santoso said late Wednesday.

The military said a local rebel commander Teuku Ali Said had surrendered in West Aceh and handed over a rifle and handgun. It said in a statement he believed the insurgents are no longer fighting for justice for the people.

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