ALGIERS, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Algerian counterterrorism troops killed as many as 13 armed militants since the beginning of January, said a statement Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
During this same period, five terrorists laid down their arms to military authorities, while 23 individuals charged of providing support for terrorist groups were arrested, added the source.
As many as 9 terrorists were killed Friday during a military operation in the easternmost province of Khenchela, near the Tunisian border.
Also, among the killed terrorists, there were a senior official at al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb group, who was shot dead on Tuesday in the dense woods of Jijel province, 350 km eastern Algiers, said Defense Ministry.
He was on the list of the most wanted terrorists, as he was nicknamed Abu Rawaha al-Qassantini, and joined terrorist camps in 1994.
Army troops also retrieved during its various counterterrorism operations conducted in January as many as 21 Kalashnikov guns, two heavy machine guns, 47 bombs and magazines and bullet of different calibers.
Army troops are still conducting a wide scale counterterrorism operation in the mountains of Medea province, 160 km south west Algiers, where "two dangerous terrorists" were killed, said the source.
It added that two Kalashnikov-type machine guns, a quantity of ammunition and a pair of binoculars, were retrieved.
Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats, as tens of thousands of troops are deployed on eastern and southern border to thwart potential intrusion of militants and arms.
