Earlier, Eritrea had announced that its forces had killed over 4,200 Ethiopian troops in the fresh outbreak of fighting which began last Thursday.

``In repelling enemy attacks, Ethiopian Defense Forces killed, wounded and captured a total of over 8,200 Eritrean troops in counter-offensives,'' Ethiopian government spokeswoman Selome Taddesse told reporters in Addas Ababa.

According to Selome, Eritrea had deployed 16 brigades around the Mereb river in the latest outbreak in the year-long frontier war between the two Horn of Africa countries.

The Ethiopian army had inflicted heavy material losses on the Eritrean forces, she said, adding that the latest fighting was initiated by Eritrea.

On Eritrea's claim that Ethiopia started the fighting, she said: ``There was no need for Ethiopia to resume fighting in an area which it has held since the victory against Eritrean forces at Badme in February.

``The renewed aggression by the government of (Eritrean) President Isayas is yet another attempt to try and recapture Badme, which Eritrean troops lost last February.''

In an earlier broadcast from Asmara, Eritrea said its forces had destroyed five tanks and shot down an Ethiopian Mi-35 helicopter gunship.

Eritrean presidential spokesman Yermane Gebremeskel told Reuters the casualty toll was high because the Ethiopians had concentrated their attack, using two divisions with about 20,000 men in the assault.

There was no independent confirmation of the rival claims in the latest battles, which broke out Thursday close to the Badme area where the border war erupted last year. But tens of thousands of soldiers are thought to have died in the fighting which has raged intermittently on three fronts along a 1,000-km (600-mile) border.

In addition to the main fighting in the western sector of the border near Badme, both sides have reported skirmishing on the southern Burre front, close to Eritrea's Red Sea port of Assab.

Before the border war began, Assab handled most of landlocked Ethiopia's exports and imports. These have now been re-routed through nearby Djibouti.

The latest fighting had been predicted by military analysts, who recently forecast a new large-scale battle ahead of the July rainy season.

Eritrea, formerly a province of Ethiopia, became independent in 1993 with Ethiopian agreement.

Ethiopian government spokesperson, Selome Tadesse, Sunday told reporters in Addis Ababa that the Eritrean soldiers were put out of action 9 June during the fighting on the Badme western front and the Bure front in the north-east.

Selome also said "over 480 Eritrean soldiers were killed and wounded on this front (Bure)," 70 km south-east of the Eritrean port of Assad.

She added that the fighting on the Bure front which started Wednesday, died down Thursday, but reiterated her accusation that Eritrea started the fighting at both fronts.

Selome also described as "exaggerations" Eritrean claims Sunday of killing close to 4,000 Ethiopian soldiers and downing of two helicopter gunships during the last two days in the heavy fighting on the Badme front in the west.

She declined speaking further on the casualty claim against Ethiopia troops. Eritrea and Ethiopia Friday blamed each other of being the starter of a new spate of fighting in their border conflict.

By Ghion Hagos, PANA Staff Correspondent