Five civilians were killed and three others wounded on Thursday (January 14th) in the explosion of a homemade bomb in eastern Algeria, while a jihadist was shot dead in a separate incident, the government said. Algerian Ministry of Defense.
"Five citizens died and three others were injured following the explosion of a homemade bomb when their utility vehicle passed through Oued Khenig-Roum, near the town of Telidjane in the wilaya (prefecture ) of Tébessa, ”the ministry said in a statement.
This unclaimed attack is the deadliest targeting civilians in Algeria for several years.
No other details were disclosed.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, hospitalized in Germany following "complications" linked to Covid-19, denounced a "cowardly and barbaric act" and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
For his part, the army chief of staff, General Saïd Chengriha, urged "citizens to be more vigilant and to avoid travel in suspicious passages known to the inhabitants of the region".
An "eliminated" jihadist
In addition, the Ministry of Defense reported, in the same press release, of the "elimination" of a jihadist in the neighboring region of Khenchela, as part of the fight against terrorism, without a link being established. between the two incidents.
"Following an ambush in Oued Boudekhane, (...) in the wilaya of Khenchela, a detachment of the National People's Army shot (...) a dangerous terrorist," it said.
The term "terrorist" is used by the authorities to designate armed Islamists who have remained active since the civil war (1992-2002).
The anti-terrorism operation in Khenchela is still ongoing, according to the Defense Ministry.
The Algerian armed forces have been stepping up operations of this kind in the east and north of the country in recent weeks.
Nine jihadists and four soldiers have been killed in clashes since December 1, according to figures from the Defense Ministry, which also reported arrests of "terrorists" in several regions of the country.
Despite the implementation in 2005 of a Charter for Peace and Reconciliation, supposed to turn the page of the "black decade" (1992-2002) of the civil war which left some 200,000 dead, armed Islamist groups remain active, especially in the east of the country, where they generally attack the security forces.
According to the official Algerian press, the army would have foiled in December a plan to redeploy the Al-Qaeda organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) after the death of its leader, the Algerian Abdelmalek Droukdel, killed in June by the armed forces French in northern Mali.
With AFP
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