Algiers: Algerian soldiers killed two Islamists during an army sweep on Sunday in Tizi Ouzou province, east of the capital, the defence ministry said.

The troops had so far seized two Kalashnikov assault rifles, ammunition and eight mobile phones during the operation near Aghrib, north of the town of Azzazga.

Islamist-linked violence rocked Algeria in the 1990s but has since waned, although armed groups remain active in central and eastern Algeria where they mount attacks on security forces.