Algerian border guards have seized 10 quintals of phosphate, destined for making bombs, along the border with Tunisia, officials said.
The border guards launched a night search operation in the desert region of Richa in El Oued province, 620 km southeast of Algiers, and intercepted a "suspicious" 4x4 vehicle, Xinhua reported.
The passengers of the vehicle fled the spot, leaving behind the car and 10 quintals of phosphate, a substance used to make bombs.
The officials said the phosphate traffickers belong to Tunisian extremist groups linked to the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).