Algerian army arrest senior AQMI militant

The Algerian army Sunday arrested a senior member of the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and killed three of his companions on the border between Algeria and Mali, a security source said.

The militant nicknamed Abu Alkamah of Niger, a prominent member in AQMI, and he used to be the leader of Tariq Ibn Ziyad brigade, Xinhua reported citing the source.

The source said Sunday morning the army troops tracked down four SUV vehicles equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns in a remote area in the locality of Bordj Badji Mokhtar near the Malian border.

The operation led to the killing of three foreign militants and the arrest of Abu Alkamah, whose real name is Agh Ouheli Abedellah and originally from Niger.

The source said the group came from Mali and attempted to sneak into Algerian territory.