Lesotho's military on Monday rejected government claims it was to blame for a shootout that killed a bystander and injured two of the prime minister's bodyguards, as tensions in the tiny African kingdom remain high following a failed putsch.

The army instead accused the bodyguards of firing first in Sunday's incident, which took place at a checkpoint in the capital Maseru and comes less than a month before national elections.

"The two refused to stop at the checkpoint and started shooting," the Lesotho Defense Force spokesman, Major Ntlele Ntoi, said in a statement. "The LDF Command condemns this regrettable and provocative attack."

A senior advisor to Prime Minister Tom Thabane told AFP on Sunday that Lesotho soldiers had deliberately targeted the two bodyguards -- soldiers themselves -- perhaps as revenge for tipping off Thabane last August and helping him escape before troops raided his residence in a botched coup attempt.

But on Monday, government secretary Moahloli Mphaka said the authorities were still trying to gather all the information.

"We are still busy consulting and getting the true story of what happened," Mphaka told AFP. "We don't want to make a statement that will confuse the nation, because we need the facts of what exactly transpired."

The incident has sparked concern there could be more violence ahead Lesotho's February 28 elections, which are being held more than two years early in order to restore stability in the impoverished country.

The failed August 30 putsch exposed friction between the Lesotho military and the police and tensions remain.