At Least 39 Dead In Algerian Strife

A week of fighting between government forces and Islamic militants in three towns has killed at least 39 people, most of them rebels, officials said Wednesday.

Government officials said two of the dead were killed Tuesday when a truck carrying explosives rammed the city hall building in Larbatache, a town 30 miles east of the capital Algiers. Twenty people were reported injured. Witnesses said the blast destroyed about 50 houses.

The truck’s driver was believed to be one of those killed.

Officials said 17 Islamic militants were killed during a week-long battle with security forces that ended Tuesday night in Laghouat, 250 miles south of Algiers, officials said.