Algerian army kills al-Tawdid militants

The Algerian army killed three radical Islamist militants and injured two others on Monday after an armed group was caught attempting to cross the border illegally, approximately 300 kilometres south of Djanet in the border province of Illizi. A security source has confirmed that the militants belonged to the Jahafil al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad group [known as “The Armies of Monotheism and Jihad”]. “An armed group comprising five individuals riding a four-wheel drive station wagon were seen trying to cross the south-eastern border,” a Defence Ministry statement said. “However Algerian forces stationed at the border killed three of the elements, giving the other two wounds that have been described as serious." Five Kalashnikov machine guns, one 12.7 millimetre handgun and the militants' vehicle were all apprehended during the operation. The manoeuvre comes the same week that Malian government forces combat militant Islamist groups, currently occupying the north of the country. France and the Economic Community of West Africa States [ECWAS] have meanwhile contributed military forces to the campaign, which French sources claim will last for another two weeks. Militant groups in the region reportedly receive weapons and supplies through support networks dotted along Algerian-Malian borders, which stretch for over 1,300 kilometres.