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| Africa North |
| Algeria vows to pursue al-Qaeda |
| 2013-11-15 |
| [MAGHAREBIA] An Algerian army unit at dawn on Tuesday (November 12th) took out five bully boyz and maimed another after an armed clash near Debdeb, some 450 kilometres from the centre of Illizi wilaya. I'm not sure which upazila that's in. The operation came five days after Prime Minister Abdelmalik Sellal declared during his visit to Tamanrasset wilaya that the only problem faced by Algerian authorities in the region was al-Qaeda. Sellal vowed to stamp out the terror group, telling prominent figures from the southern region that Algeria would work firmly to eliminate the organization and prevent it from operating on national territory. He praised the efforts of Tamanrasset residents and others in southern Algeria in maintaining security and stability amid turmoil experienced by neighbouring countries. But opening the border in the south was not on the agenda, he said, adding that the issue would require "some time". Criminals could "infiltrate the border and instigate problems on the national territory", he warned. Algerian authorities closed the southern border with the launch of the international military campaign against terrorist groups in northern Mali. They have kept the border closed despite complaints from the local population. It was opened on an exceptional basis for the transport of relief supplies to residents of areas affected by floods in Mali. Interior Minister Tayeb Belaiz acknowledged that the Libyan border was the main concern for Algeria. In a press statement Saturday, he said the southern and eastern border was under the direct supervision of the army, instead of civil authorities, due to the security concerns. He confirmed that the army seized sophisticated weapons and missiles several times along this border. Belaiz stressed that the humanitarian situation on the border with Mali and Niger was taken into account, despite the fact that the frontier was still closed for transport. Algerian authorities have tightened security measures along the border in recent months, deploying thousands of troops. The latest operation took place November 1st, when joint security forces incarcerated Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! two bully boyz in the municipality of Borj Baji Mokhtar. In a second operation, weapons were confiscated in a location near the border town of Tin Zaouatine. El Khabar reported that the captured bully boyz belonged to a cell active in northern Mali and were part of the battalion led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, alias Khaled Abou El Abbas or Laaouar. The bully boyz were on their way to northern Mali. Troops confiscated a car and two Kalashnikovs. Mahmoud Kmama, a Touareg elder in Tamanrasset and member of parliament, told Magharebia that "the state has always been present in southern Algeria through projects that benefit the population in terms of water supply, roads, health coverage and the opening of schools in addition to residential projects". "Thanks to the efforts of our security units and the co-operation of the region's population, Algeria's borders are fully secured," Kmama said. |
| Posted by:Fred |