AGL 39.35 Increased By ▲ 0.81 (2.1%)
AIRLINK 128.20 Decreased By ▼ -1.30 (-1%)
BOP 6.16 Increased By ▲ 0.55 (9.8%)
CNERGY 4.05 Increased By ▲ 0.19 (4.92%)
DCL 8.38 Decreased By ▼ -0.35 (-4.01%)
DFML 40.67 Decreased By ▼ -1.09 (-2.61%)
DGKC 87.50 Decreased By ▼ -0.80 (-0.91%)
FCCL 34.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.75 (-2.14%)
FFBL 66.30 Decreased By ▼ -1.05 (-1.56%)
FFL 10.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-0.94%)
HUBC 108.59 Decreased By ▼ -0.17 (-0.16%)
HUMNL 14.61 Decreased By ▼ -0.05 (-0.34%)
KEL 4.62 Decreased By ▼ -0.13 (-2.74%)
KOSM 7.17 Increased By ▲ 0.22 (3.17%)
MLCF 42.30 Increased By ▲ 0.65 (1.56%)
NBP 61.50 Increased By ▲ 1.90 (3.19%)
OGDC 179.50 Decreased By ▼ -3.50 (-1.91%)
PAEL 25.90 Decreased By ▼ -0.35 (-1.33%)
PIBTL 6.05 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (1.34%)
PPL 145.99 Decreased By ▼ -0.71 (-0.48%)
PRL 23.90 Increased By ▲ 0.29 (1.23%)
PTC 16.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.31 (-1.87%)
SEARL 70.25 Increased By ▲ 1.95 (2.86%)
TELE 7.30 Increased By ▲ 0.07 (0.97%)
TOMCL 36.00 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.14%)
TPLP 7.83 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.25%)
TREET 15.59 Increased By ▲ 1.39 (9.79%)
TRG 50.50 Increased By ▲ 0.05 (0.1%)
UNITY 27.00 Increased By ▲ 0.25 (0.93%)
WTL 1.24 Increased By ▲ 0.03 (2.48%)
BR100 9,804 Decreased By -2 (-0.02%)
BR30 29,601 Decreased By -77.2 (-0.26%)
KSE100 92,102 Decreased By -202.8 (-0.22%)
KSE30 28,724 Decreased By -116 (-0.4%)

Police raids conducted east of the Algerian capital left 11 al Qaeda-linked militants and one officer dead, an official and local media said Saturday, as authorities intensified security measures before next week's presidential election. Combined forces wiped out a militant unit in a clash overnight Thursday near Bouira, some 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Algiers, a police official said on condition of anonymity due to government restrictions on discussing security matters.
The official said seven gunmen from al Qaida in Islamic North Africa were killed in the gunbattle. The El Watan and Liberte dailies reported the clashes on Saturday and said that the army and police were conducting large sweeps in the eastern Kabylie mountains.
Also Thursday night, security forces clashed with a separate insurgency unit and killed four armed Islamists in a forest near Bordj-Bou Arreridj, some 240 kilometers (150 miles) east of Algiers, the police official said. One officer from local police forces died during the lengthy gunfight, and three paramilitary police were injured, the official said.
Violence between security forces and Islamist insurgents left an estimated 200,000 people dead in the 1990s but has largely abated in the north African country. One left-over militant group, however, officially joined al Qaeda in 2006. It has vowed to derail Algeria's presidential election on Thursday.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is running for a third term, has offered an amnesty to armed insurgents who renounce violence. The 72-year-old incumbent, in power since 1999, has made national reconciliation the cornerstone of his presidency. Bouteflika is viewed as certain to beat his five, low-profile opponents. Most opposition leaders have called for a boycott.

Copyright Associated Press, 2009

Comments

Comments are closed.