Four Algerian militants killed: Security forces

Algiers: Security forces in Algeria said yesterday they had killed four armed Islamist militants overnight near Msila, 250km southeast of Algiers.

Acting on a tip-off, they intercepted the four men as they were driving towards Msila, said a security official. They belonged to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said the source.

The group emerged from the Algerian fundamentalist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat and sees itself as the north African wing of Osama bin Laden’s network.

Over the last few weeks, security sources and the press have reported the deaths of around 20 armed Islamist activists in several parts of Algeria, as well as the arrest or surrender of several others.