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Algeria targets Salafists after downing of military helicopter
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, December 4, 2006
CAIRO — The Algerian military has launched an offensive against an insurgency group with ties to Al
Qaida that had been conducting strikes against government assets.
The Algerian military has sent ground and air units in the mountains in
the southern region in an effort to dislodge forces of the Salafist Brigade
for Combat and Call. Security sources said military units have been
operating in the regions of Batna and Biskra, about 400 kilometers southeast
of Algiers.
The sources said the offensive was launched in wake of a series of
Salafist strikes. In the latest attack on Nov. 21, a Salafist unit fired an
anti-aircraft missile that downed a military helicopter in Batna, Middle East Newsline reported.
On Nov. 30, the Algerian daily Al Khaber reported that 10 Salafist
operatives have been killed so far in the military operation. The newspaper
said the military clashed with Salafist fighters twice over the last week.
In October, the Salafists were said to have merged with Al Qaida in a
move designed to revive the Islamic insurgency in Al Qaida. Over the last
month, more than 40 people were killed in Salafist strikes.
Copyright © 2006 East West
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