Algeria, France To Cooperate On Hostage Murder Probe

Algeria has agreed to cooperate with a French investigation into the murder last week of a French national by an Algeria-based militant group, an Algerian judicial source said Tuesday.



"Authorities have decided to cooperate with the French judicial investigation as part of a [bilateral] judicial cooperation agreement," the source told Anadolu Agency.



He said contacts were ongoing between Algerian and French officials with a view to facilitating the work of French investigators.



Several French investigators arrived in Algeria a few days ago as part of ongoing efforts to find those responsible for the Frenchman's abduction and murder.



Last week, the self-styled "Jund al-Khilifa" group claimed responsibility for the Frenchman's death, which, it said, had been in retaliation for recent French airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.



The heavily-armed ISIL group recently seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.



By Ahmed Aziz



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Alger