Algerian Islamic militants, stepping up attacks in recent weeks, have killed two policemen and injured one civilian in the restive Berber region east of the Algerian capital, media reported on Tuesday. Rebels suspected of belonging to the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) attacked a foot patrol on Monday evening in Tizi Ghenif, a town some 100 km (60 miles) southeast of the capital Algiers, El Watan and other newspapers said.The government has also proposed bringing in an amnesty for rebels if they surrender. However, analyst Mahmoud Belhimer said the fact that the attacks were continuing, showed the country was still unstable. "Attacks seem to have risen compared with recent months. This shows that the terrorist threat still exists and remains a factor of continued instability for Algeria," editor and university professor Belhimer told Reuters. "Unfortunately killing is part of these people's daily activities. It won't stop overnight," he said.
A soldier in civilian clothes was killed on Saturday evening when militants stopped a bus at a fake road block in the same region, known as a rebel hotbed. Suspected members of the GSPC, aligned to al Qaeda and listed by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist organisation, dressed as soldiers then set the bus alight and robbed passengers. Police estimate that between 300 and 500 rebels remain active, but many are believed to want to surrender if authorities offer an amnesty. Several hundred were killed or surrendered last year.