Kampala — THE army on Tuesday night rescued the Anglican Bishop of Kitgum Diocese, Benjamin Ojwang, from LRA rebels who had abducted him from his house in Mican area in Kitgum town council.

The bishop, who was found taking tea, lost a mobile phone handset, goats and his church gowns.

The rebels, who abducted six people from the bishop's residence, including a schoolgirl, beat up the bishop before ordering him to carry the stolen foodstuffs and a goat they had killed.

He was admitted in Kitgum hospital with mild injuries.

Kitgum LC5 chief Nahaman Ojwee said the bishop would be flown to Kampala for treatment.

The rebels also shot dead a boy, who escaped from rebel captivity recently, Ojwee said. He identified him as Okello.

Some 40 other people were abducted from the area. Ojwee said the UPDF from a nearby military detachment saved the bishop and the other captives.

An army spokesman Lt. Paddy Ankunda said in a statement, that the army killed one rebel.

Ojwee said the rebels eluded the UPDF and sneaked into the bishop's home at 8:00pm. The bishop and many other residents had not yet closed their doors for the night.

Ojwang is a member of Acholi Religious Leaders' Peace Initiative that has been trying to link up the Government and the rebels to talk.

Ojwang said he had forgiven his abductors and urged all the rebels to come out of the bush.

"I was arrested at 8:00pm in my house by about 20 rebels who entered the house in turns, looting all the property in the house. They beat me with sticks and others kicked me," the bishop said.

"They found me taking tea. I had just returned from a pastoral tour," he said."They took my 23 goats, sugar, peas, soap, cooking oil among others," Ojwang added.

He said, "I was forced to carry my own goat and they took 10 litres of cooking oil. They also asked for my workers. They forced me to walk until the UPDF started firing. I escaped when a rebel pulling me with a rope was shot dead. I fell down with a goat round my neck. I estimated the rebels to be about 80."