Algerian forces kill 3 militants

ALGIERS — A security official says three militants have been killed in a pair of operations east of the capital Algiers.

The official said a security sweep in a forest in the mountainous Kabyle region 120 kilometers east of Algiers Friday afternoon resulted in the death of two militants.

Closer to the capital, in the town of Bordj Menaiel, in Boumerdes province, security forces killed Azazni Mohamed, a leading militant who had been fighting the government since 1996.

Mohamed had been sentenced to death several times in absentia for his role in attacks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. — AP