A roadside bomb has killed three Algerian soldiers and four auxiliaries in the west of the North African country.

A roadside bomb has killed three Algerian soldiers and four auxiliaries in the west of the North African country, the defense ministry said on Sunday.

Saturday's blast struck in the Sidi Bel-Abbes region 440 kilometers (275 miles) west of the capital, the ministry said.

Troops were heading back to their barracks after taking part in a nationwide security operation for a controversial election that brought back to power ailing President Abdulaziz Bouteflika for a fourth term.

The attack was the deadliest since an April ambush claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in the restive Kabylie region that killed 11 soldiers.

The defense ministry denounced the latest attack, saying that "such criminal acts only serve to bolster the... (army's) determination to crush terrorist groups".

At least 56 gunmen have been killed in clashes with the army since the beginning of the year, the military says.