Violence is marring the run-up to the presidential elections in Algeria, slated to take place on April 9.
Nine Algerian security guards were killed on Sunday in an attack by Islamists in northeastern Algeria.
Islamists attacked a building used by a private security company in Ziama Man’souriyya, about 360 kilometers east of the capital Algiers.
The company, Spas, provides security for factories in the region.
Algeria, an important ally of the United States in the war against terrorism, has faced a series of terror attacks over the past couple of years, including those specifically targeting security personnel.
The assaults have mostly been attributed to members of Al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (QOIM), a reincarnation of the local Salafist Group for Call and Combat, which was formed during the civil war in Algeria in the 1990s.
The violence is overshadowing the run-up to the elections, in which incumbent president ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Bouteflika is seeking a third term.
The president is expected to win the upcoming election as his opponents lack influence and popularity.
Bouteflika formally announced his intention to run for office, following a constitutional amendment that abolished limitations on presidential terms.
The amendment drew criticism from the opposition and critics of the regime, who claimed that it was a manipulation to help Bouteflika consolidate his power in the North African country and prevent new players from entering the political system.
Bouteflika has been in power since 1999. His supporters say that if the president remains in power, he will continue reconstruction of Algeria, which was devastated in years of violence during the 1990s.