Algeria seizes weapons in rebel raid
Hostage ransom paid for arms, government alleges
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ALGIERS, Algeria (Reuters) -- Algeria's military said Saturday that several members of the Islamic rebel group that kidnapped 32 European tourists last year had been killed in the desert as they transported arms bought with Western ransom money.
The armed forces said in a rare statement that members of the hardline Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) had been "neutralized" when crossing into Algeria from neighboring Mali on Friday.
"The armed forces have destroyed a terrorist group linked to al Qaeda in the south ... they were carrying important weapons, including 190 Kalashnikovs," the statement said.
"The group purchased the weapons thanks to money they received from a Western government in exchange for releasing the [European] hostages," it added.
A total of 32 tourists were kidnapped in early 2003 while travelling in the Algerian Sahara. In May, 17 were rescued when Algerian commandos stormed a rebel hideout.
The second group were freed later in Mali, and German newspapers have reported that the German government paid about $5 million to secure their release. Most of the tourists were German. The German government has declined to comment on the reports.
Security experts said the latest operation was a significant coup for Algeria's armed forces, particularly because of the amount of arms seized. It was not clear how many rebels were killed.
Algeria has stepped up its campaign in recent months to eliminate what remains of the GSPC -- as it is known in French -- and the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), known for slitting the throats of its victims, security experts said.
Fighting broke out in the oil-rich North African country after authorities canceled parliamentary elections in 1992 that a Muslim fundamentalist party was poised to win.
Human rights groups estimate that more than 150,000 are estimated to have died, most of them civilians, as militants fought to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
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