30/03/2007
In Algeria's Kabylie region heavily-armed troops and government militia have surrounded a group of 50 to 80 members of the al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, local press reported on Thursday (March 29th). In an attempt to break through the blockade, the terrorists killed three soldiers on Wednesday. In a counter-attack the security forces killed some 15 militants, including organisation leaders. The clash took place in the forests of Amizour, close to Bejaia. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda continued its operations in the region. In the city of Boumerdes a road bomb exploded near a police car on Thursday morning without casualties. According to the official data, some 300 armed militants are hiding in the mountains of the Kabylie region. (L'Expression, AFP, DPA, Reuters)