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ALGIERS, April 9 (Reuters) - Nine soldiers and at least four Islamist rebels were killed in clashes between Algerian government troops and militants seeking to set up an Islamic state, newspapers reported on Monday.

It was the largest reported single casualty toll among government forces since Islamist guerrillas killed at least seven troops in November 2006 in the Bouira region east of the capital Algiers.

Liberte and El Watan said that in Saturday afternoon's incident five soldiers were also wounded when militants ambushed an army foot patrol in the southwestern province of Ain Defla, 150 km (93 miles) from Algiers.

At least four rebels were killed in a clash that followed the attack by members of the al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which adopted the new name in January to deepen ties to al Qaeda.

The authorities rarely comment on security incidents.

Government troops, backed by helicopters, were searching for the attackers, estimated at 50 militants, Liberte said.

Liberte also reported fighting between security forces and Islamist rebels on Sunday in the Biskra region, 150 km (220 miles) southeast of Algiers, which has been tense following an April 2 rebel attack there in which three soldiers were killed.

Three Algerians and a Russian were killed recently in Ain Defla when rebels attacked a bus carrying oil workers.

Founded in 1998, the GSPC began as an offshoot of another armed group that was waging an armed revolt against the government to establish an Islamic state.

The GSPC shared the overall aims of that revolt, which began in 1992 after the then military-backed authorities, fearing an Iran-style revolution, scrapped a parliamentary election that an Islamist political party was set to win.

Up to 200,000 people have been killed in the ensuing bloodshed.

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