[ADN Kronos] Algerian security forces have reportedly killed at least 18 suspected militants with links to Al-Qaeda in the past week. According to the Arab TV network, Al-Jazeera, the Algerian military has been conducting an offensive in the region of Batna, 500 kilometres southeast of Algiers. The offensive reportedly began with a number of bomb attacks over a week ago against a number of terror cells. Last Thursday soldiers discovered several bodies when they patrolled areas in the region, where militants were believed to have been hiding. Security forces decided to conduct the military offensive in Batna after they discovered that a group of foreign fighters had entered the country to back local elements of Al-Qaeda.