Gunmen killed eight Algerian troops in two separate attacks on Sunday, days after seven people died in roadside bombs, an Algerian newspaper reported on Monday. Rebels detonated a bomb as a military truck passed through Stah Aftis village near the border town of Tebessa, 700 km east of Algiers, killing five troops and injuring four, El Khabar daily quoted an unnamed local source as saying.
Three soldiers were also shot dead by gunmen at an impromptu checkpoint in Bordj Menail in Boumerdes region just east of the capital, the report added. The off-duty soldiers were in civilian clothing and riding a bus when it was stopped by gunmen disguised as soldiers, said the newspaper. The gunmen ordered everyone off the bus for what they said was a routine check.
When one of the soldiers told them "we are your colleagues", the gunmen shot them dead on the spot, the Arabic language daily cited an unnamed source as saying.
