Thirty-six people were murdered in four attacks by Algerian armed Islamic extremists over two days, according to reports from the security forces and in the Algerian press yesterday. Officials said 18 militants were also killed during security force operations.
According to officials, 34 people were killed in attacks overnight on Tuesday in the southern areas of Djelfa and Laghouat, and around Blida, to the south of Algiers. Two more people were killed on the western outskirts of the capital, near Bainem, the Arabic newspaper El-Acil reported.
The killings come as Algeria prepares for the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which has been the bloodiest since 1992. Ahead of today's Eid al-Fitr celebrations, the Algerian authorities stepped up security measures and searches.
Referring to the latest killings, security forces said 12 people were massacred at the village of Sebgag in Laghouat, 13 more near Blida, just south of the capital, and nine in M'Seka in the Djelfa region. The security forces claimed their "swift riposte" to the Sebgag massacre resulted in the "neutralisation of three terrorists."
Search operations following the Blida killings succeeded in the "neutralisation of four terrorists," the statements added. A further operation ended with the death of 10 members of an armed group at Chenigen, in the region of Medea, just south of Algiers, the official statements said. An "actively sought-after terrorist," Sheikh Ahmed, also known as "the throatslitter," was also killed, they added.