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.
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