Report: 7 Algerian soldiers killed by militants

ALGIERS, Algeria – An Algerian newspaper has reported that militants have attacked a military barracks in northeast Algeria, leading to a gunfight that left seven soldiers and three attackers dead.

El Watan daily says on its Web site a group of militants attacked the Tizrarana barracks about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of the city of Jijel and seized automatic weapons. A soldier was missing and two others injured.

The attack Friday came a week after a bombing attack on a military convoy killed five soldiers in a town 20 kilometers east of Jijel.

As with most such cases, authorities declined to comment.

Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has been active in Algeria. It has roots in the North African country's Islamic insurgency that started in 1992 and left more than 200,000 dead.