20120805
AFP
A fourth border guard died from his wounds after a clash with unidentified gunmen on Thursday in western Algeria near the closed frontier with Morocco, local media reported on Saturday.

Le Quotidien d'Oran, a Francophone Algerian daily, said an officer was among the four border guards killed in the clash that broke out when "terrorists who were either leaving or re-entering Algerian territory" attacked their patrol.

According to El Watan, another daily, those behind the attack were suspected of belonging to a smuggling network active in the area, who have "suffered significant losses following raids" launched by border guards recently.

It said the smugglers were taken by surprise when a border patrol arrived on Thursday evening near Roubane village, less than a kilometre from the Moroccan frontier, and after a brief exchange of fire the gunmen fled.

The border between the two countries has been closed since 1994 following an attack in Marrakesh which Morocco blames on Algerian intelligence.

Algeria and Morocco have been at odds over Western Sahara since Rabat occupied the former Spanish colony in 1975, with Algiers backing the separatist Polisario Front.