Insurgents killed 24 Algerian paramilitary police in an ambush on their convoy late on Wednesday, a local newspaper has reported.
The ambush, if confirmed, would be the deadliest single attack in months in Algeria, where the state is fighting Islamist militants allied to the al-Qaeda network. Two Algerian security sources said there had been an ambush and more than 20 paramilitary police had been killed.
The Echorouk newspaper cited security sources and local people as saying the ambush took place at about 8pm on a stretch of highway between the settlements of El Meher and El Mansourah, about 180km (110 miles) east of the capital.
It said the attackers first activated two improvised explosive devices and then opened fire on the convoy. The insurgents left, taking arms, weapons and six police off-road vehicles, said the newspaper.
Algeria has been struggling for nearly two decades to get to grips with Islamist insurgents who now operate under the banner of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Security crackdowns and a campaign to persuade the militants to lay down their arms have led to an overall decline in the number of attacks, but there has been an upsurge in violence over the past few weeks.
Insurgents killed five paramilitary gendarmes late in May and a week later shot dead nine soldiers. At the start of this month, AQIM killed a British man, Edwin Dyer, after holding him hostage in neighbouring Mali.
Though the group has not targeted oil and gas infrastructure in Algeria, international energy firms – which include BP, StatoilHydro, Repsol and Total – operate under heavy security.
Diplomats say the violence also has the potential to spill over into Europe, where AQIM has a network of undercover cells providing logistical support. – (Reuters)