LOC12:09
09:09 GMT
ALGIERS, Aug 7 (KUNA) -- Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen assassinated a local
official in the town of Baghlia in the province of Boumerdes, 50 kilometer
east of the capital, a security source said on Saturday.
The source told KUNA the town mayor, Idir Mohammad Al-Bagh, 47, was shot
dead outside his house as he was heading to a nearby mosque for the night
(Ishaa) prayers, on Friday.
The assailants, suspected of being members of the outlawed Al-Qaeda
organization, fled the scene leaving the mayor sprawling in his blood on the
ground.
Baghlia has recently witnessed identical incidents. Followers and members
of Al-Qaeda in Al-Maghreb countries are entrenched in nearby rural regions.
Algerian authorities had successfully contained widespread violence that
broke out in the early 90s. Adopting a carrot-and-stick policy, the
authorities clamped down on the militants and granted amnesty for those "who
repent and surrender."
Some militants groups are said to have been entrenched in remote and rugged
regions. (end)
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KUNA 071209 Aug 10NNNN