7 soldiers killed after gunmen ambush military post in Algeria

7 soldiers killed after gunmen ambush military post in Algeria

2011-05-14 05:00:48 GMT+7 (ICT)

ALGIERS, ALGERIA (BNO NEWS) -- At least seven soldiers were killed in Algeria when a group of gunmen opened fire against a military outpost, officials said Friday.

During the early hours of Friday, while many soldiers were still asleep, a group of gunmen ambushed a military base in Tizrarane, Algeria, located around 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of the country's capital, Algiers, and 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Jijel, according to a report by local newspaper Ennahar.

Security forces conducted an immediate search operation with the use of helicopters against the gunmen. At least three of the gunmen were killed during the operation, and soldiers seized at least seven automatic weapons.

Last week, a bomb attack against a military convoy in the same region killed five soldiers and wounded another five.

No group has claimed responsibility of the attack, but local authorities commonly dub the attackers as 'terrorists,' which are usually associated with Algeria's extremist organization al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in the northwestern region of Africa.

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