Algerian army kills seven Islamist fighters east of capital - ministry

ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian troops on Wednesday killed seven armed Islamist fighters and captured weapons during a search operation in a mountainous area of Bouira province east of the capital Algiers, the ministry of defence said. The operation was in the Moumlil area of Lakhdaria town in the region that was a stronghold for Islamist fighters during Algeria's 1990s war. Pockets of fighters with al Qaeda's North African branch still operate in parts of the country. (Reporting by Patrick Markey; Editing by Dominic Evans)