Security forces killed four armed Islamic extremists in an ambush in the northeastern part of Algeria, newspapers reported Monday.
The militants of the hard-line Armed Islamic Group (GIA) were caught in the ambush Sunday in the town of El-Bara, near Jijel, some 300 kilometers east of Algiers, the reports said, adding that the security forces recovered several weapons, AFP reported.
Police on Saturday arrested 29 people accused of supporting Islamic extremists in the region, the papers said.
Militants of the GIA and the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) have stepped up attacks in recent weeks ahead of parliamentary elections set for May 30th.
Both groups oppose Algeria's secular government and have rejected a reconciliation initiative made by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, elected in 1999.
Algeria's civil war has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives since 1992, according to the press and political parties.
Over 500 people, including 170 Islamic militants, have been killed since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP count from official death tolls and press reports. (Albawaba.com)
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