Bomb kills 3 in Algeria

A bomb at a booby-trapped house in the Algerian capital killed three pro-government Algerian militiamen, an Algerian national said yesterday.

The 3 men, members of one of the anti-terrorist militias known as "patriots" were killed on Friday when they were entering a building in Ouled Allel, a guerrilla stronghold in the southern part of the Algerian capital, El Watan newspaper said.

Troops had carried out a three-week long offensive against rebels at Ouled Allel, ending in October, to try to wipe out members of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). Officials were quoted in local papers at the time as saying they had "cleansed" Ouled Allel and stepped up the number of rood-blocks around the city amid, Al-Ahrar daily said today.