'15 Algerian soldiers held' over accidental killing

Fifteen soldiers, including an officer, have been detained in connection with the accidental killing of a security guard during a sweep against rebels in Algeria's restive Kabylie region, press reports said Tuesday. The incident occurred on June 23 when Mustapha Dial, a father of four, was hit by a hail of gunfire by soldiers hunting rebels who had just exploded a bomb as a military convoy was passing by in Azazga, 100 kilometers (60 miles) east of here, the daily El Watan said. The bomb attack left one soldier dead and eight injured. Press reports quoted witnesses as saying that soldiers first injured Dial and later executed him while he was trying to get help. The army "blunder" in Azazga triggered strong protest from local residents who staged a two-day strike and held a protest rally, reports said. The Defense Ministry confirmed that the case was a "blunder" and said the soldiers involved were charged and taken into custody pending the end of an investigation and their judgement. In an editorial, El-Watan said the case marked the first time since Islamic extremism surfaced in Algeria in the 1990's that the military reacted "with such speed and firmness to excesses committed by soldiers against citizens". Kabylie and other parts of eastern Algeria have increasingly witnessed attacks on security forces by Islamists claiming to be loyal to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the extremist network's north African branch.