Algeria on high alert as hit by waves of terror acts

Algerian counter-terrorism forces on Saturday killed three armed militants, including an explosive expert in the province of Tizi Ouzou, 120km east of Algiers.

"National Army troops on Saturday morning shot down three terrorists, including an explosive expert, following an ambush that was set in the woods of Sid Ali Bounab, near Tademait in Tizi Ouzou," said a statement of the Defense Ministry.

The source noted that the operation is still underway, as three Kalashnikov submachine guns, a quantity of ammunition, explosive manufacturing tools and three mobile phones were retrieved.

Last Thursday, a militant wearing an explosive belt was killed when he was heading to Maatkas in Tizi Ouzou to target a police station there, detectives said.

In recent days, joint security forces have been on alert, especially after homemade rockets attacked two weeks ago a gas field in the south of the country, without causing casualties.

The attack was taken seriously, as President Abdelaziz Bouteflika convened an urgent meeting with top government and army officials to discuss the security situation.

Source: Xinhua