Suspected Islamists killed
2003-11-08 14:21
Algiers - Algerian security forces killed 10 armed suspected Islamists in the west of the country on Friday, the Algerian news agency APS reported.
Eight armed men were killed in the mountainous region of Djebel Khelifa, close to Saida, while two others were killed in El Hassi, in the Relizan region, APS said.
The two operations netted a cache of several weapons, the agency said.
Violence involving alleged Islamic extremist groups has left more than 800 people dead since the start of the year, according to an unofficial tally, and since the start of Ramadan late last month alone 26 people, including 18 Islamists, have died.
Islamic extremists have in the past intensified their attacks during Ramadan, though in the past two years the Islamic holy month has been relatively calm in Algeria.
Around 150 000 people have died since the country plunged into war in 1992, when the army prevented the now-outlawed fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front from taking power by calling off the second round of general elections it was poised to win.
- SAPA