Algerian forces kill 90 rebels

Algerian troops have so far killed more than 90 rebels in a huge continuing operation, an Algerian newspaper said on July 21.

Armed islamic Group (GIA) chief Antar Zouabri, 27, might be among the trapped men in a rugged area near Attatba in Blida province, about 50 km south of Algiers, L'authentique newspaper said.

Hundreds of GIA rebels had gone to the group base there from Algiers and other regions to attend a congress to plot ways to step up their campaign against the government, it said.

The authorities blame the GIA for the massacres of hundreds of villagers in remote areas, for bombings in cities and killing leading journalists and intellectuals.

"Their (the rebels) goal has been very clear: exchanging information and coordinating their criminal activities with the aim of deploying with maximum efficiency in the field," said L'authentique, outlining the apparent aim of the congress.

The huge military swoop began a week ago with a limited operation against a small rebel gang before the security forces stumbled on to what the newspaper named as a GIA base.

Crack troops threw a seamless cordon around the base while bomb disposal experts cleared the way for the soldier's advance, it said.

"The intricacy of the situation needed the intervention of elite army troops and bomb disposal experts who have defused dozens of bombs," L'authentique said.