Militant leader reported killed in Algiers

Reports from Algeria say the police have killed one of the local leaders of the the militant Armed Islamic group.

The reports said the man, known only as Mohammad the Blond, was gunned down yesterday near the Ketchaoua mosquein the Casbah district in the capital, Algiers.

He is said to have been the second-in-command of the organization's wing in Algiers.

Correspondents point out that reports of security forces killing militant leaders are difficult to confirm.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service