An armed civilian guard has been killed by armed assailants near the town of Boumerdes, near Algiers, newspapers reported In Algeria Tuesday.
The victim, whose main duty was to guard a gas pipeline, was shot in the main square of Chaabet El Ameur village, some 50 kilometers east of the capital, the Quotidien d'Oran newspaper reported.
His attackers, believed to be armed Islamic extremists, took his gun before fleeing, the paper added.
An estimated 200 people, including 50 members of the security forces, were killed in unrest in Algeria last month, according to a toll compiled by the authorities and the press.
The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) and another hardline movement, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), are blamed for most of the bloody attacks, which increased sharply after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in February announced the date for legislative elections.
Both extremist groups are opposed to Algeria's secular government and have rejected a reconciliation policy proposed by Bouteflika to end their insurgency. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
