ALGIERS, 20 December 2004 — Between 300 and 500 extremists are operating in Algeria more than a decade after civil war broke out in the north African country, press reports said yesterday, quoting police chief Ali Tounsi.
“I estimate the number of terrorists still active at between 300 and 500,” Tounsi said, adding: “The information that we have ... shows declining morale among the active terrorists. They are just waiting for a chance to surrender to the authorities.”
“Terrorism can no longer take root in the capital. It’s not possible,” he said, adding that the militants who have been fighting to establish an Islamic state in the north African country since 1992 are on the run.
“Neutralizing them completely will take a little more time,” Tounsi said, noting that Algeria’s police force has more than doubled, from 50,000 to 122,000 in the past decade.
Tounsi said Islamic extremists were involved in organized crime including racketeering, money laundering and drug dealing. “Often we find drugs in the possession of dead terrorists. The recruiting of young people often begins with the trap of drug addiction,” he said.
The civil war, which has claimed upwards of 150,000 lives, has abated considerably since mid-2003.
However, at least 14 people have been killed since the start of the month, 21 in November and 36 in October, according to a tally compiled from official and press reports.
The killings are blamed on the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), which is linked to the Al-Qaeda network.
The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) has apparently ceased operating.
Thousands of Islamic extremists surrendered under a “civil reconciliation program” launched by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika soon after he was first elected in 1999.
