Security Forces Seize Arms, Ammunition Cache in Eastern Algeria

Algeria, Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Major-General Said Chengriha (AP)
Algeria, Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Major-General Said Chengriha (AP)
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Security Forces Seize Arms, Ammunition Cache in Eastern Algeria

Algeria, Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Major-General Said Chengriha (AP)
Algeria, Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Major-General Said Chengriha (AP)

An arms and ammunition cache was seized in Bouira, southeast of the Algerian capital, the Ministry of National Defense announced on Tuesday.

In a press statement, the Ministry said four sub-machine guns, four ammunition tanks, as well as 55 conventional bombs and 20 kilograms of TNT explosives were seized on Monday.

Bouira is the major terror stronghold in Algeria, and until recently it was a base for extremist groups, mainly the Salafi Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).

The GSPC was transformed in 2007 into al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), led by Abdelmalek Droukdel, also know as Abu Musab Abdul Wadud.

Algeria’s counter-terrorism units killed three armed militants in April, arrested one and five other support elements for terrorist groups.

They also destroyed 22 hideouts of terrorist groups.

During his visit to the Third Military Region, southwestern Algeria, Acting Chief of Staff of the Army Major-General Said Chengriha stressed that the new stage requires soldiers to act as successful leaders, who must impose their presence in the battlefield.

“Professionalism is one of the most important criteria for evaluating cadres in the People's National Army,” he noted.

The region visited by the senior military commander is a hotbed of smugglers and drug traffickers.

Chengriha said the professionalism sought among army soldiers and officers is what makes the principle of dedication to work the only approach and best mean to attain the highest ranks.



One in 10 Children Screened in UNRWA Clinics are Malnourished

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
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One in 10 Children Screened in UNRWA Clinics are Malnourished

Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians wait to receive food from a charity kitchen, amid a hunger crisis, in Gaza City, July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

One in 10 children screened in clinics run by the United Nations refugee agency in Gaza since 2024 has been malnourished, the agency said on Tuesday.

"Our health teams are confirming that malnutrition rates are increasing in Gaza, especially since the siege was tightened more than four months ago on the second of March," UNRWA's Director of Communications, Juliette Touma, told reporters in Geneva via a video link from Amman, Jordan.

Since January 2024, UNRWA said it had screened more than 240,000 boys and girls under the age of five in its clinics, adding that before the war, acute malnutrition was rarely seen in the Gaza Strip.

"One nurse that we spoke to told us that in the past, he only saw these cases of malnutrition in textbooks and documentaries," Reuters quoted Touma as saying.

"Medicine, nutrition supplies, hygiene material, fuel are all rapidly running out," Touma said.

On May 19, Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume. However, UNRWA continues to be banned from bringing aid into the enclave.

Israel and the United States have accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of stealing from UN-led aid operations - which Hamas denies. They have instead set up the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, using private US security and logistics firms to transport aid to distribution hubs, which the UN has refused to work with.

On Monday, UNICEF said that last month more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition. It said it was an increase for the fourth month in a row.