| Algeria's armed forces have killed five Islamic militants, security sources said on Saturday, as part of a significant military offensive against suspected rebel pockets east of the capital Algiers. Security sources said members of the al Qaeda-aligned Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) were killed near Thenia, 50 km (30 miles) east of Algiers late on Friday. Two of the rebels were suspected of having taken part in a deadly attack on a military convoy in the Boumerdes province two weeks ago, in which seven soldiers were killed. Security forces, paramilitary and soldiers are taking part in a large military operation that began a few months ago and is aimed at wiping out the GSPC's stronghold in the Boumerdes region, which has this year witnessed a rise in rebel attacks. |