ALGIERS: Algerian army helicopters killed a high-level Al-Qaeda operative and four associates as they sped through the southern Algerian desert, a local official said Thursday.

Two four-wheel-drive vehicles carrying Khalil Ould Addah, also known as Abu Bassen, were hit as they traveled through the desert province of Tamanrasset north of the town of Ain Salah, said the official from Tamanrasset, the regional capital.

The Arabic language daily Al-Khabar said the attack happened Wednesday, adding that the militants had come from northern Mali and were heading to a meeting of top Al-Qaeda in North Africa leaders.

There was some debate about Ould Addah's exact position in Al-Qaeda. The paper described Ould Addah, a Mauritanian, as the "No. 3" in the organization, but others familiar with the group say he was probably a regional leader.