The Algerian army killed 150 armed Islamic militants in a two-week operation in the eastern foothills of this north African country, news reports said Saturday.

The charred bodies of 105 suspected rebels were found in caves near the Babor mountains, about 180 miles east of Algiers, the El Watan daily reported. It did not specify its sources and did not account for the remaining 45 bodies.

The Arabic language newspaper El Youm reported that about 20 suspected militants and some 25 women remained holed up in the caves as the operation continued. The militants had come to the remote rugged region for a meeting, it said.

El Watan also reported five women and eight children were freed late Wednesday and early Thursday. One of the women reportedly said the militants were running out of food, water and munitions.

Algeria's Islamic radicals frequently kidnap women. The captives are often kept as sex slaves and are often killed.

The Defense Ministry declined to comment to The Associated Press and the government-run news service, APS did not mention the operation.

The military-backed government is trying to root out an Islamic insurgency that started in the early 1990s. Officials offered rebels partial amnesty if they turned in their guns, and those who did not surrender have faced an army crackdown.

About 120,000 people have died in the insurgency. The violence erupted in 1992 when the army canceled legislative elections that a fundamentalist party was poised to win.

Close

Today's Top News		Top International News
+Hu: Stability in Hong Kong essential ( 2003-09-27) +Zhuhai hotel closed after Japanese orgy ( 2003-09-28) +WHO drafts rules on SARS ( 2003-09-28) +Rat poison destroyed in NE Province ( 2003-09-27) +Report: US-Taiwan military hot line exposed ( 2003-09-28)		+News: Algeria kills 150 Islamic militants ( 2003-09-28) +Iraq goes back to school for first Saddam-free year ( 2003-09-28) +US troops find missiles near Saddam's hometown ( 2003-09-28) +Feature: World's richest man's imprint on Africa ( 2003-09-28) +Italian blackout cuts short Rome all-night party ( 2003-09-28)