Paris/Algiers, July 30 (DPA) At least 14 Algerian soldiers were killed when a group of Islamic extremists attacked a military convoy in northern Algeria, the daily El Watan reported Thursday.

Other local media say that as many as 20 soldiers were killed in the attack at Tipasa, some 70 km west of the capital Algiers, and at least 20 were injured, in what is being called the deadliest attack in the area in years.

There has been no official confirmation by Algerian authorities of the incident, which took place near midday Wednesday.

A splinter group of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is believed to have carried out the attack, which may have been a reprisal for a recent campaign in the region by the Algerian army.

Local media say that some 20 suspected terrorists were killed by Algerian security forces in recent days.