ALGIERS, 17 May 2005 — Twelve Algerian troops were killed and a number wounded in a weekend ambush by armed rebels, Algerian media reported yesterday, indicating that despite official statements the unrest is far from over.
A bomb exploded as the troops’ convoy was traveling Sunday near Khenchela, a city about 540 kilometers east of the capital, Algiers, several Algerian dailies reported.
A gunbattle ensued with gunmen lying in hiding on both sides of the road, and one of the attackers was killed, the reports said.
The papers blamed the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), allegedly linked to the Al-Qaeda network, for the attack. In the wake of the ambush the army launched a huge search operation in the area between Khenchela and Tebessa, 90 kilometers to the east, the report said, but gave no result.
In another incident, seven soldiers were wounded when a homemade bomb went off as the army was combing the Bouladahm mountains around Collo, near Skikda, 510 kilometers east of Algiers.
