Algerian army arrests 34 terror suspects

 Algerian defense ministry said on Tuesday that the army troops arrested as many as 34 individuals over charges of offering support to terrorist groups in the provinces of Tizi Ouzou and El-Oued.

The ministry said in a statement that this operation was part of the fight against terrorism in coordination with police forces, adding that 32 individuals were arrested in El-Oued, 750 km to the southeast of Algiers, near borders with Tunisia and Libya; two others were arrested in Tizi Ouzou, 120 km to the east of Algiers.

The North African country has been deploying troops on the eastern borderline to thwart intrusion of arms and militants, due to unstable security situation in neighboring Tunisia and Libya.

However, militants affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are still taking refuge in the woods of central provinces.

Source: XINHUA