Algeria: 5 civilians killed in the explosion of a homemade bomb

CInq civilians were killed and three others injured Thursday following the explosion of a homemade bomb as their utility vehicle passed Oued Khenig-Roum, near the municipality of Telidjane in the wilaya (prefecture) of Tébessa, said the Algerian Ministry of Defense in a statement. No other details were disclosed. An investigation was opened by the police services to elucidate the exact circumstances of the incident.

According to local media, the explosion took place in the commune of Bir Al-Ater.

The chief of staff of the army Saïd Chanegriha presented “his sincere condolences and his deep compassion to the families and relatives of the deceased”. He also wished a “speedy recovery to the injured”. The general also called on “citizens to be more vigilant and to avoid movement in suspicious passages, known by the inhabitants of the region”.

Vigilance

That same day, the same ministry also reported, in its press release, of the “elimination” of a jihadist in the neighboring region of Khenchela, as part of the fight against terrorism, without a link being established. between the two incidents. “Following an ambush in Oued Boudekhane […] in the wilaya of Khenchela, a detachment of the National People’s Army shot dead […] a dangerous terrorist and recovered an RPK-type submachine gun, three magazines filled with ammunition, a radio transmission station and two cell phones ”, details the text. The term “terrorist” is used by the authorities to designate armed Islamists who have remained active since the civil war (1992-2002). The anti-terrorist operation in Khenchela is underway, according to the Defense Ministry. Events unfolding as Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune again traveled to Germany on January 10 to be treated for complications in a foot following his recent contamination with Covid-19. He returned briefly to his country on December 29 after two months of treatment in Germany.