Five people killed as bomb hits vehicle of bird hunters in Algeria

A bomb struck a vehicle of bird hunters in Algeria and killed five of them, media reported on Wednesday.

Three of the people killed in Tuesday's blast were from the same family, local media reported, blaming militants targeting security forces.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack, which struck close to Djelfa, about 270 kilometers (170 miles) south of the capital Algiers.

The makeshift bomb had been planted in a road in a forest area and was likely aimed at security forces carrying out a sweep for Islamic militants, several newspapers reported. It struck a group of bird hunters travelling in an all-terrain vehicle, sources said.

The five bodies were transported to a morgue in the nearby town of Messaad.

Several newspapers also reported on Wednesday that the Algerian army killed a local AQIM chief, Mourad Bouher, late Monday.

Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz said in comments reported late Tuesday that authorities had moved the former head of the GSPC, Hassan Hattab, to a "safe place" in line with the scrapping of the state of emergency.