By Frank Nyakairu

KAMPALA, May 15 (Reuters) - The Ugandan military on Thursday said it had killed two Congolese rebels who were part of a group that tried to attack a border trading post in Kisoro in Uganda's southwest.

The roughly 20 armed men who crossed in from the lawless eastern reaches of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday tried to loot a small trading center.

"Our forces have killed two of the men who attacked Kibaya trading center yesterday and we have information that they are part of a Congolese rebel group headed by Laurent Nkunda," an army spokesman, Captain Tabaro Kichoncho, said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Congolese authorities or Nkunda, a renegade Congolese general who is fighting the Congolese army in the restive North Kivu province.

"We have deployed troops on the border and issued a strong warning using broadcast media to all bad elements near our border not to attempt to cross to Uganda," Tabaro said.

Uganda and the Congo this weekend signed a deal to jointly fight rebels in their territories and re-mark their common border.

Congo's government in January signed a peace deal with Nkunda's group and dozens of other militias roaming the mineral-rich east, which is patrolled by part of the United Nation's largest peacekeeping force.

The pact was aimed at ending fighting that has displaced more than 500,000 people since early 2007, but daily ceasefire violations have pushed the number of refugees up by 75,000 people since it was signed.

Ugandan districts bordering North Kivu have suffered armed incursions since January 2007, and more than a dozen people have been killed. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ ) (Editing by Bryson Hull)

AlertNet news is provided by