Algerian army kills seven Islamists

The Algerian army killed on Friday seven “dangerous” Islamists in the east of the country where it regularly carries out operations that it presents as “anti-terrorist”, said the Ministry of Defense.

The new operation took place in the Chechar region in the Wilaya of Khenchela, about 550 km south-east of Algiers, the ministry said in a statement.

“In the context of the fight against terrorism, the army has killed seven dangerous terrorists,“he said, adding that weapons, magazines and grenades have been seized.

In 2017,91 “terrorists” were killed and 40 others arrested, according to the army.

The Algerian authorities use the word “terrorist” to designate armed Islamists.

Algeria emerged from a conflict with armed Islamists in the 1990s that left an estimated 200,000 dead. But al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and small bands of fighters allied to Islamic State have been active in remote parts of the oil producer.