Algerian troops kill 14 Islamist militants: Ministry

Algerian soldiers killed 14 armed Islamist militants in an ongoing operation south of the capital today, the defence ministry said giving a new toll.

It said the "terrorists" were killed in an ambush in a mountainous area of the Medea region, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Algiers.

Weapons, ammunition and an explosive vest were seized, it said.

The ambush was part of an ongoing operation against militants that began on June 9 and had so far led to the killings of 17 "terrorists" and the arrests of four others.

The authorities in the North African country use the term "terrorists" to refer to Islamist militants.

 

A brutal civil war in the 1990s between the government and Islamists claimed about 200,000 lives.

Despite adopting a peace and reconciliation charter in 2005 aimed at turning the page on the conflict, armed groups remain active in some areas.

At least 101 armed Islamists have been killed by security forces this year, according to an AFP count compiled from official bulletins.