Algeria troops kill three militants: agency

Algerian security forces killed three militants in clashes in the northern city of M'Sila, official APS news agency reported.

The troops engaged a group of unidentified number of militants on Tuesday afternoon in al-Nawarah neighborhood in M'Sila, killing three militants, the report quoted an unnamed security source as saying.

The security forces are chasing the remaining militants in the area, the source said.

Last week, 11 Algerian policemen were killed in an ambush by militants in Algerian-Malian border areas. On Sunday, three Algerian gendarmes were killed and another was injured in an explosion by a homemade bomb planted at a beachside checkpoint near the northeastern city of Jijel.

Algerians have faced an increasing threat by Islamist militants since the 1990s. The security forces have recently launched massive military operations against pro-al-Qaida groups, including al-Qaida in Islamic Maghreb.

Source: Xinhua