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Algerian security thwarts suicide attack east of capital

March 25, 2016 at 12:14 pm

The Algerian police announced Thursday it has thwarted a suicide attack against a local police headquarters in the town of Ma’atqah, in Tizi Ouzou province; 100 km east of the capital.

The police directorate of Tizi Ouzou province said in a statement it eliminated on Thursday night a suicide bomber who planned to carry out an attack against the town of Ma’atqah”.

“The elimination of the terrorist was successful thanks to the help of residents and the local security force there” the statement said without giving further details.

Algeria’s APS news agency quoted unnamed local security sources as saying that “the terrorist had an explosive belt and tried to escape from a crackdown operation carried out by the national army in the vicinity of the town”.

The sources explained that “the terrorist headed towards the local police headquarters in Maatqah town probably to blow him up, after the army surrounded him”.

Algerian security services did not reveal the identity of the armed man or his affiliation, but Algerian security experts say provinces north of the country, especially those located south and east of the capital are important strongholds of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Jund Al-Khilafa; an affiliate group of the Islamic State, ISIS.