CAIRO Ñ Algeria has urged its African neighbors to increase coordination and
cooperation on insurgency groups. Algeria has launched an offensive
against Islamic insurgency groups such as the Armed Islamic Group and the
Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call.
On Saturday, U.S. President George Bush relayed a message that thanked
Algerian President Abdul Aziz Bouteflika for his effective role in
combatting terrorism. Bush relayed deep gratitude to the Algerian president
and people for their contribution to the international campaign to eradicate
terrorism.
African nations are considering establishing an
anti-terrorism center in Algeria, Middle East Newsline reported.
Diplomatic sources said African Union representatives agreed to a series
of recommendations in their four-day meeting last week in the Algerian
capital of Algiers. One of the recommendations calls for the establishment
of a research center on terrorism in Algiers.
The proposal calls for a center that will gather information on groups
deemed terrorists as well as prepare reports on trends in the field. The
center would also develop programs for international cooperation and
training.
The African governments also agreed to discuss legislation to help fight
terrorism. The union also called for the protection of witnesses involved in
providing information on terrorists and aimed to implement international
accords.
Over the weekend, Algeria reported new attacks by Islamic insurgents.
Algerian newspapers said that 14 people were killed in an insurgency attack.
They included three soldiers who were killed in a grenade attack near the
Moroccan border.
Officials said Algeria has imposed new measures to increase security in
Algiers. One measure is to divide the capital into three security zones to
ensure more effective response to alerts of an insurgency attack.