About 18 people were killed as Algerian government troops battled Islamic militants in the Kabylie region east of the capital, local correspondents said on Thursday. They said heavily-armed troops and government militia had surrounded between 50 and 80 members of the al-Qaeda-linked Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in a hideout in the Amizour district. To try to break out, the militants had attacked an army roadblock on Wednesday, killing three soldiers. In a counter-attack, government forces killed some 15 of the rebels, including a mid-ranking leader. There was no immediate official confirmation of the clash.Algerian security forces are stepping up an offensive against the GSPC, raiding targets in cities and mountain hideouts, with deaths on both sides.