1.500 gendarmes mobilised to hunt down terrorists and barons of criminality

The National Gendarmerie recorded over 1500 security intervention units in the various provincial gendarmerie groups at the level of 46 localities. Two units will be deployed in both Tamanrasset and Ouargla provinces, south of Algeria.

• There are six units of intervention in the provincial gendarmerie of Algiers. They are called “Commandos”. In this framework, the contact cell, belonging to the national gendarmerie organized Sunday an “open day” about the means of media that are used by these units, as well as the conditions of the gendarmes’ selection in order to reintegrate them in these special units, established in 2007 under the program of creating professional military institution to keep pace with the development of criminality, particularly drug and cars trafficking, and illegal immigration, after instructions by Major General Ahmed Boustila, commander of the National Gendarmerie, who announced during a meeting with his tires and his visit to the western borders in the summer of 2007.
• The “open day” included presentations and reviews in different sites in Mazafrant, Ziralda and Bainem, showing intervention of gendarmerie units in sensitive areas, as well as the how to prepare for raids and sudden security crackdowns.
• Echorouk published, previously, the announcement of the creation of these units and accompanied the security unit of intervention, belonging to the provincial gendarmerie of Algiers, during its raid organized by the gendarmerie regional battalion of Rouiba, in the neighbourhood of Al Krouche, where a dangerous criminal was arrested.
• Information available at Echorouk revealed that security intervention units  in some provincial gendarmerie groups joined the back-up counter-terrorism operations in the main strongholds of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat in Boumerdes, east of Algiers. A unit in Tizi Ouozou was also devoted to combat terrorism in the region and cover the security vacuum in some areas which are experiencing a hike in criminality, particularly after the black spring events and withdrawal of the gendarmerie squads from the area.