Two children were killed and eight civilians injured on Tuesday when rebels of Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA)/northern sector launched a mortar strike on Kadogli, capital of Sudan's South Kordofan State, according to Sudanese army spokesman.

"A mortar strike was launched from a distance of about 12 km and targeted the external security stations of Kadogli city, including Sharan and Al-Rusaires stations", Al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad, Sudanese army Spokesman, told Xinhua.

"Some rockets fell inside Kadogli city which resulted in the killing of two children and the wounding of eight civilians", he added.

He further noted that the Sudanese army has responded to the bombardment.

In the meantime, the SPLA/northern sector admitted that its forces have bombarded the capital of South Kordofan, but justified it as self-defense, saying it was a response to what it termed as a continuation of violations by the Sudanese army, who kept targeting positions controlled by the rebels.

"We are defending ourselves in the face of provocations by the army of the National Congress Party," Arno Taloudy, SPLA/northern sector spokesman, told Xinhua by phone.

"Since Oct. 18, the Sudanese army has been bombarding our positions. Our forces had to respond violently and target the bases of the Sudanese army around and inside Kadogli city," he added.

On Oct. 8, the SPLA/northern sector launched a mortar strike in Kadogli, leaving six died and 22 injured. Two days later, the rebels attacked Kadogli once again.

The Sudanese army and the SPLA/northern sector have been fighting each other since June 2011.