location: Batna
notes: Seventeen people were killed in clashes between two rival armed Islamic extremist factions Saturday in the bush around Merouna, near Batna. The clashes were between a group faithful to a guerrilla leader known as Abderrezak 'the Para', an army deserter who split from the hardline Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) of Hassan Hattab, and a faction headed by Nabil Sahraoui who is loyal to the GSPC.
target_text: location: Batna, fatalities: 17