Al Qaida 'kills 29 in Algeria over three months'

Dubai: Al Qaida's north Africa wing said it killed at least 29 members of Algeria's security forces in the past three months, a US-based firm which monitors militant
websites reported on Saturday.

In a statement posted on the internet, the group, which calls itself Al Qaida Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, claimed responsibility for 21 attacks carried out in northern Algeria between September and December, the SITE Intelligence Group said.

The attacks included bombings and ambushes of police and military targets in areas including Bejaia, Constantine and Biskra.

Al Qaida's north Africa wing posted several statements on the Internet last year saying it would not stop its attacks until Algeria was free from French and US influence and what it called the "apostate" Algerian government was removed.

Since adopting the Al Qaida name early in 2007, the group, previously known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), has claimed several attacks, including twin suicide bombings of UN offices and a court building in Algiers in December 2007 which killed 41 people.