ALGIERS, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Algerian counter-terrorism forces managed to kill 35 terrorists and arrest 18 others in the first quarter of 2017, said Defense Ministry in its official monthly magazine El-Djeich.
The source noted that 59 individuals were arrested over charges of providing support to terrorist groups.
During operations since the beginning of this year, army troops also retrieved 272 weapons of different types, in addition to 242 vehicles and trucks used by terrorists and arm smugglers, the source added.
It also said that army troops deployed all along the border arrested 3000 illegal migrants and a number of smugglers and drug traffickers.
Last month, army Defense Ministry announced the killing of two senior officials at Islamic State-affiliated group in Algeria.
Located in a region plagued by unprecedented security and political instability, Algeria faces ongoing terrorist threats, experts said.
A few militants affiliated to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and recently established IS affiliate groups are still taking refuge in the dense woods in the north, and remote desert areas near the troubled Libya and Mali.
