Five Algerian soldiers killed in ambush

Five soldiers were killed and another 10 were wounded in an attack in eastern Algeria at the weekend, Algerian newspaper reports say.

Debris in Tizi Ouzou following a suicide attack, 3 August 2008. Reuters

The troops were attacked in the Zekri forest of the Kabylie region after a remote-controlled bomb exploded on their path, according to security forces quoted by el Watan.

The soldiers were looking for members of the former Salafist Group for the Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which have formed an alliance with Al-Qaeda, according to the Liberty daily.

The newspaper says the Algerian army launched a large-scale operation to hunt down “terrorists” in the Zekri forest east of the city Tizi Ouzou last week.

Since the attack, the army has maintained operations in the area and sent reinforcements to the Zekri forest.