Bogota  - Leftist Colombian rebels admitted in a statement posted on the internet Tuesday to having killed eight members of the indigenous Awa tribe.

But the rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) also blamed the deaths on the Colombian government. FARC said the government is the "executioner" of civilians because it gets them involved in the country's armed conflict.

Colombia's armed forces have long used civilians as informers, to find out details about the presence and movement of rebels.

The death toll in the February 4 massacre was still unclear. While FARC admitted to eight murders, the governor of Narino province, Antonio Navarro, said 17 Awa Indios were killed.

Leaders of the Awa community, which lives on the border between Colombia and Ecuador, said the rebels arrived at their settlement in Tortugaña Telembi on February 4 and accused them of collaborating with the army. They stabbed to death several members of the community.

Army troops sent to the area were unable to find the bodies, apparently because the Indios refused to give more details, fearing retaliation from FARC.

An estimated 600 Awas are believed to have fled the area following the killings.

FARC has been fighting against the Colombian government since 1964, and there is no end in sight to the ongoing violence. (dpa)