Algeria Says Troops Kill Three 'Terrorists'

Algerian troops conduct a search operation. (File photo: Reuters)
Algerian troops conduct a search operation. (File photo: Reuters)
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Algeria Says Troops Kill Three 'Terrorists'

Algerian troops conduct a search operation. (File photo: Reuters)
Algerian troops conduct a search operation. (File photo: Reuters)

Algerian military forces have killed three "dangerous terrorists" during a raid in the country's north, the defense ministry said Sunday.

Authorities regularly report "terrorist" killings, often referring to armed Islamist groups that have remained active in the North African country years after its civil war which ended in 2002.

The defense ministry said in a statement that "as part of the fight against terrorism, an army detachment yesterday killed three dangerous terrorists" in Ain Defla province, AFP reported.

It named the three slain men as Debar Boumediene, Hamneche Ibrahim and Alali Mohamed, without elaborating on their group affiliation.

According to the statement, two Kalashnikov-type submachine guns, ammunition, and "other objects" were seized during the military operation.

Since the beginning of the year, the Algerian defense ministry has reported the killing of at least 35 "terrorists" and the arrests of 256 suspects "supporting armed groups".

Despite a 2005 amnesty law following the end of the civil war, extremist groups continue to carry out sporadic operations in the hydrocarbon-rich country, often in mountainous and sparsely populated areas.

 



Lebanon Urges International Probe Into Deadly Golan Strike

Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)
Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)
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Lebanon Urges International Probe Into Deadly Golan Strike

Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)
Border fence between Lebanon and Israel (AFP)

Lebanon on Sunday called for an international investigation into a strike that killed 12 people including children on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, warning against a large-scale retaliation.

The Israeli military said that an Iranian-made rocket that Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group fired on Saturday hit a football field in Majdal Shams, a Druze Arab town, killing children and teenagers who were playing there.

Hezbollah, which claimed multiple attacks on Israeli military positions during the day, has denied it was behind the Majdal Shams strike, saying it had "no connection" to the incident.

In a statement on X, Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib urged for an "international investigation or a meeting of the tripartite committee held through UNIFIL to know the truth" about who was responsible for the attack, AFP reported.

The tripartite committee refers to military officials from Lebanon and Israel, which are technically at war, together with peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

He insisted the Lebanese group targets "only military" positions and ruled out them carrying out an intentional attack on civilians in Majdal Shams.

The statement, carried by the state-run National News Agency, said that Bou Habib also "called for the complete and comprehensive application" of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

The resolution ended a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, and called for the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed in south Lebanon.

"A large attack by Israel on Lebanon will lead to a deterioration of the regional situation and will spark regional war," Bou Habib warned, according to the statement.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday vowed to "hit the enemy hard" following the Majdal Shams strike, while Iran warned Israel that any new military "adventures" in Lebanon could lead to "unforeseen consequences".