Algerian troops on Tuesday (May 13th) killed two terrorists in Boumerdes, bringing to 14 the number of militants killed this month, the defence ministry said.
One of the two slain terrorists was identified as Bouchlaala Abdenour, aka Abou Abdelilah, a prominent figure of al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The 37-year-old native from Khemis El Khechna joined armed groups 15 years ago. He was one of the most wanted elements by security forces for his role in planning the suicide operations that rocked Algeria since 2007.
Twelve militants were also killed in an ongoing operation launched in Tamanrasset, near the Mali border. Ten were eliminated last week, and then the army on Monday found bodies of two more terrorists west of Tinzouatine.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on May 7th said during a cabinet meeting that Algeria came under a foreign terrorist attack via its southern border, and that army units foiled an infiltration attempt in Tamanrasset by foreign terrorists, including Malians, Libyans and Tunisians.
Local media sources reported that the weapons used by the terrorists who were killed by an ANP special operations unit in Tinzouatine on the Mali border were brought from an arms depot in Sirte, Libya.
Security forces also recently arrested three terrorists in Warfalla province.
One is a nephew of fugitive terrorist leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar.
Before that, a four-member terrorist cell was dismantled after a surprise raid in Illizi. Security forces seized foreign currency in the group's possession.
The cell was allegedly tasked by Belmokhtar with raising money to finance terrorist operations.
After this operation, the ANP command deployed seven military brigades in the Tinzouatine operations sector in Tamanrasset province. Additional military units were deployed on the Libyan border after news circulated that an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, including foreign fighters, infiltrated the area to carry out an operation following the failed Tamanrasset one.
The army command also ordered soldiers along the southern border to step up aerial surveillance of desert paths, increase the number of checkpoints on roads and tracts, and expand the early intelligence-based warning system against terrorist operations to include all southern areas.
Algeria had recently been exposed to terrorist operations launched by foreign militants, noted Merouane Azzi, head of the legal assistance cell for the implementation of national reconciliation.
"In the Tiguentourine gas complex operation, there were 29 foreigners among the 32-member terrorist group, and in the last terrorist operation, most elements were foreigners," he said. "This confirms that terrorist organisations, such as al-Qaeda, are using foreign militants to carry out their operations in Algeria."
Meanwhile, he said that ANP and other security agencies have killed 60 terrorists since January 2014, including the 10 terrorists who were recently eliminated in Tamanrasset. He added that 27 terrorists surrendered to authorities in 2013.
Security affairs expert Kamal al-Hadef speculated that the terrorist group that tried to infiltrate Algeria was preparing for an operation against oil or vital facilities in the desert.
"The terrorist groups may try to avenge their failure in the Tiguentourine operation," he said. "There are many similarities between the two operations, including the fact that most of group elements are foreigners and that the same type of weapons was used."
Al-Hadef told Magharebia that the Algerian security agencies obtained information months ago indicating that Belmokhtar would seek to repeat the Tiguentourine gas complex attack.
"Months ago, the army forces found a weapons cache in Illizi desert, not far away from the Libyan border, containing weapons, sophisticated communication devices and missiles; something that confirms the assumption that they're trying to launch a similar attack like Tiguentourine," he stated.
© Magharebia.com 2014
