Islamic rebels wounded seven soldiers in bomb attacks in eastern Algeria and lost one fighter in an army offensive, newspapers said yesterday, suggesting rising violence ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The daily Liberte, citing unnamed sources, said the soldiers were wounded by home-made bombs on Saturday when they were combing through forests suspected of being rebel hideouts some 100 km east of the capital Algiers

Algeria’s military has been fighting militants ever since fundamentalists took up arms to overthrow authorities and set up a purist Islamic state. The war was sparked by the annulment of elections a radical Islamic party was poised to win in 1992. An Islamic militant was killed on Sunday in a separate military operation in the mountains near the city of Chlef west of Algiers, newspaper El Watan reported, citing security sources. Clashes between the armed forces and rebels fighting for a purist Islamic state have intensified in recent months as the army seeks to crush remaining militant pockets. Rebel activity usually intensifies ahead of the holy month of Ramadan due to start this month.