Algeria says army officer killed in clash with Islamists

A military officer was killed in Algeria during a clash with jihadist militants.

1 min read

11 May, 2023

Islamist and jihadist groups have been active in Algeria since the early 1990s [Getty/archive]

An Algerian army officer has been killed in a clash with suspected Islamists during an operation southwest of the capital, the defence ministry said on Thursday.

The captain died Wednesday during the operation to capture "a group of terrorists" in the wooded region of Tissemsilt, a ministry statement said.

🛑إستشهاد النقيب محمد تناح خلال إشتباك مع جماعة إرهابية في تيسمسيلت.

🛑النقيب تناح محمد إبن مدينة فرندة ولاية تيارت إثر اشتباكات ليلة أمس مع عناصر ارهابية ببلدية برج الامير عبدالقادر ولاية تيسمسيلت (تازة).

إن لله وإنا إليه راجعون.
المجد و الخلود لشهدائنا الأبرار.#الجزائر pic.twitter.com/7KU1Df0nEd
— 🇪🇭بنت صحراء الجزائر🇩🇿فلسطين🇵🇸الصحراء الغربية (@AlgeriaMarocDz) May 11, 2023

Four jihadists were arrested, the statement added.

Algerian authorities use the term "terrorist" to describe armed Islamist militants who have been active in the country since the early 1990s.

Between 1992 and 2002, a civil war pitting the army against multiple jihadist groups killed an estimated 200,000 people.

A 2005 Charter for Peace and Reconciliation was supposed to have turned the page on the conflict, but jihadist groups continue to carry out sporadic attacks.

In January, the defence ministry announced that 39 "terrorists" had been "eliminated" during targeted army operations in 2022.