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| North Africa |
| 56 killed in Algeria... |
| 2003-01-05 |
| 13 members of two families were killed overnight Saturday in an isolated village near the city of Blida. Late Saturday, suspected militants ambushed and bombed a military and civil defense convoy in the Aures mountain range, 430 kilometers southeast of Algiers. An unspecified number of assailants set off bombs with the help of acetylene-filled bottles as the convoy passed by the village of Teniet El-Abed, near the city of Batna. Government and hospital officials have not yet confirmed the attack nor given an official toll of the dead and wounded. The ambush was the worst against security services since a December 17 attack left 10 security forces dead at Sidi Medjaded near Miliana, 120 kilometers west of the capital. In recent weeks, the Algerian military, accused by Islamic parties of using unnecessary excessive force most of the time, has been active in the Aures mountains, fighting an armed group that has been setting up roadblocks for extortion purposes. The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), one of Algeria's two main militant groups, is purportedly active in the northeast of the country, where the convoy attack took place. Wiping out entire families is the hallmark of GAI, but the Salafists do it, too. Both groups are involved with the local crooks. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |