Algeria says 4 militants killed in security operation west of capital

By Hassen Djebril

ALGIERS, Algeria / ISTANBUL (AA) – Algeria’s Defense Ministry said Sunday that security forces killed four militants in an operation west of the capital, Algeria, as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts.

A ministry statement said that army units carried out a sweep in the Jebel Amorouna area of Ain Defla, killing four “terrorists” and seizing weapons and ammunition.

Troops recovered four Kalashnikov rifles and quantities of ammunition, the ministry said, adding that the operation was still underway.

Algeria has battled armed groups since the 1990s, though militant activity has sharply declined in recent years and is largely confined to remote mountainous areas. Some militants have shifted operations toward the Sahel region.

Authorities say Algeria has “defeated terrorism” through sustained military operations and a national reconciliation policy launched in 1999 that encouraged tens of thousands of militants to surrender their weapons.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul