Algerian security kills the leader of al-Salafeyah group for call and fighting

The Algerian authorities said the security forces were able to killed the leader of al-Salafeyah group for call and fighting Nabil Sahrawi and three of his main aides in the context of a campaign against the armed organization which is supected to have links to al-Qaida organization.

The Algerian official radio and TV said yesterday that al-Sahrawi, better known as Abu Ibrahim Mustafa, and Abu Abdul Aziz Murad Khabab and Abdul Malik Drokdil were killed during a mopping up operation for the army in Bejjaya area, 250 KM to the east of the capital.

A statement by the Algerian army said about the operation that the army forces also retsored back documents and weapons during this " large scale operation." Another statement in an earlier time said that the government soldiers killed 7 Islamists extremists in the same operation on last Thursday and Friday, adding that the operation is still continuous.

Worthy mentioning that the army operation started after the killing of 10 government soldiers in June 2nd.

The killing of Sahrawi is considered a painful blow to the al-Salafeyah group for call and fighting which he had led since one year.

Attacks of the group which was established in 1998 concentrate in al-Qabayel area which is inhabited by the Berber majority, where 22 western tourists were kidnapped in the Algerian desert in the same year.

More than 150,000 persons -- most of them are civilians -- were killed in Algeria since the beginning of the activity of the armed Islamic groups in 1992 after the army abrogated the results of the legislative elections the banned Islamic front party for salvation while it was in its way to win the elections.