Algeria, May 08: At least five soldiers have been killed and five others sustained injuries in a roadside bomb attack in northern Algeria.
In the incident, which occurred at around 7:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) on Friday, a roadside bomb exploded in Jijel province, near the town of El Kennar, which is located about 350 kilometers (217 miles) east of Algiers, Algeria’s French-language daily El Watan reported on Saturday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. However, recent attacks have generally been attributed to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Attacks have surged over the past few years in northern Algeria’s restive Kabylie region.
The Algerian army launched a massive sweep in the Kabylie region a year ago with the aim of snuffing out the threat allegedly posed by AQIM.
In recent years, the Sahara region has seen a dramatic hike in the activities of smugglers and militants reportedly linked to AQIM, which has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks on foreigners in the area.
——–Agencies