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Algeria army ambushes, arrests group on Niger border
07/10/2014
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's army on Monday ambushed and arrested a group trying to cross its border with Niger as the military increases border controls, fearing militants spilling over from neighbouring Libya and Mali.
The ministry of defense issued a statement but gave few details on the ambush, saying the group of "criminals" of Sudanese and Chadian nationality was travelling in jeeps and motorbikes in an area known for smuggling, gun running and militant activity.
Algeria has been heightening patrols and surveillance along its vast southern desert borders.
"The army succeeded in ambushing in the area of Tiririne near the borders with Niger... a group of criminals of 20 people including 12 Sudanese and eight Chadians," the ministry statement said.
The army killed four militants and injured five more in the same region a few days earlier, a security source told Reuters.
As well as smugglers and illegal migrants, Algeria's southern border areas are home to elements of al Qaeda's North African wing, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and other militant groups.
Algeria, a key U.S. ally against Islamist extremists in the region, is emerging from more than a decade of conflict during which 200,000 people died. Violence has eased significantly but some militants continue to strike in remote areas.
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