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| Africa: North |
| Taming terror in Algeria |
| 2004-09-21 |
| Violence continues to spread throughout Algeria, 12 years after the army aborted elections Islamists were set to win, prompting an uprising by Islamic extremists and a conflict which has killed up to 150,000 people, mostly civilians. In spite of the mobilization of the country's security forces and a policy of national reconciliation aimed at reintegrating former extremists into society, insecurity still lingers in most of the country, and the presence of al-Qaeda-linked groups in North Africa has attracted increased international attention, especially from the United States. Security sources on Monday said Muslim extremists killed four civilians and kidnapped a woman in an ambush in eastern Algeria. Gunmen posing as army troops set up a checkpoint on a main road in the province of Boueira, 120 kilometers east of Algiers, stopping cars and robbing their passengers. The gunmen opened fire on one car that failed to stop, killing four of its passengers. One survivor, a woman, was kidnapped by the gunmen and taken to their hideout in a nearby rugged mountain. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |