A group of radical Islamic rebels is suspected of having killed six Algerian soldiers and a lorry driver, Algerian security sources said Friday.

The attack by some 40 militants occurred early Friday on a motorway near the city of Batna, some 430 kilometres east of the capital Algiers.

Another 14 soldiers were injured in the attack, which was reportedly carried out by a local Islamic group that considers itself close to the terrorist organization al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Some 50 people have died this month in Algeria as a result of violence carried out by Islamic radicals.