CAIRO -- Algeria asserts that the lion's share of Islamic militants
have been eliminated.
Chief of Staff Gen. Mohammed Amari said that Algeria has, in effect, defeated terrorism.
He denied reports that Al Qaida seeks to make Algeria into the movement's
new base of operations.
"Algeria is not a country open to terrorists," the general said.
Algerian said 700 militants still
operate in the country. Amari said the figure had been 27,000.
In an address to the military, the chief of staff said Algeria has
curbed the Islamic insurgency. But he acknowledged that insurgency groups
continue to launch attacks against military and civilian targets.
Earlier this week, an Algerian couple was killed by Islamic militants
west of Algiers, Algerian newspapers reported on Wednesday. No group has yet
claimed responsibility for the attack.
At the same time, Algerian security sources reported that a major
militant was killed in a clash with the military. The militant was
identified as Kamal Shlagma, a leading operative of the Salafist Group for
Call and Combat. Shlagma was identified as head of an Islamic death squad
and was killed in a battle in Baatna about 430 kilometers east of Algiers.
Amari said the battle against what he termed terrorism must be fought by
both the civilian and military leadership. He said all spheres of Algerian
society must contribute to ending terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11
attacks on New York and Washington.