Algerian armed forces killed
nine armed Islamists near the
Malian border on Monday, the
defence ministry said.
The "terrorist group of nine
criminals" died after clashes
with the army in the
Taoundert border area, 80
kilometres (50 miles) west of
Tin Zaoutine in Tamanrasset
province, the APS news agency
quoted a ministry statement
as saying.
It said eight automatic
Kalashnikov-type rifles, an
RPG-7 rocket launcher
technical equipment and a
"large amount" of ammunition
were seized.
The clampdown came after
"effective use of information
on suspicious movements of a
terrorist group," said the
statement.
On Thursday, Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) had
claimed responsibility for an
April ambush in Algeria's
restive Kabylie region that
killed 11 soldiers.
The attack was the deadliest
on the military in years and
came two days after ailing
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
was re-elected for a fourth
term.
The 77-year-old, who had cast
his vote from a wheelchair,
has long been seen as the
leader who helped restore
stability to Algeria after the
devastating civil war of the
1990s.
Islamist-linked violence rocked
Algeria in the 1990s but has
declined considerably in recent
years, although jihadists still
operate in the mountainous
Kabylie region.
The previously biggest attack
there by Islamist groups was
in April 2011, when 10 soldiers
were killed at a military post
in Azazga, east of the regional
capital Tizi Ouzou.
By Toboa siri
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