By Abdul Razzaq bin Abdullah
ALGIERS (AA) – The Algerian army has killed four “terrorists” as part of ongoing search operations in the country’s northeastern Skikda province, according to a Tuesday statement released by the Defense Ministry.
“Within the framework of the fight against terrorism in Skikda's Azzaba district, army forces on Monday eliminated four terrorists and seized their weapons,” the statement read, adding that the operation was still underway.
The ministry did not provide the identities of the slain “terrorists”.
Nor did it comment on local media reports suggesting that a handful of soldiers had also been killed in the melee.
On Tuesday, an Algerian news website quoted a local security source as saying that clashes had erupted one day earlier in Skikda between an army force and a “terrorist group” comprised of about 20 members.
The same source said that military reinforcements, including army helicopters, had been sent to the scene of the reported clashes.
The Al-Qaeda terrorist group, along with other armed groups, reportedly maintains an active presence in the mountainous regions of northern Algeria.
