ALGIERS, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Foreign fighters were among 13 rebels killed in an Algerian army offensive against al Qaeda hideouts, a newspaper reported on Tuesday, in a report suggesting stepped up links among the region's militants. Three Tunisians, two Libyans and a Moroccan were among the rebels killed near the Tunisian border in Tebessa province, 630 km (390 miles) east of the capital Algiers, said Liberte, usually well-informed on security matters. First reports of the deaths on Saturday had no word on their identities but Liberte on Tuesday cited security sources as saying six were identified with the help of the security services of three other countries. Newspapers said the militants were killed in an army attack launched on Aug 1 against a group of the al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb. The six were wanted in their own countries for belonging to al Qaeda's north Africa wing, Liberte said. North African states are increasing security cooperation to try to stifle attempts by radical Islamist groups to coordinate attacks on targets both in the region and in Europe. SUICIDE BOMBINGS Morocco's King Mohammed, whose country is on high security alert after suicide bombings by Islamists earlier this year, vowed in July to step up security cooperation with Algeria. In Tunisia, 14 gunmen were killed in clashes with security forces in and around Tunis on Dec. 23 and Jan. 3, rare serious disturbances in a Mediterranean Arab country most Europeans know as a sleepy holiday destination. A group calling itself "Tunisian Youth for Unity and Jihad" said the gunmen were its members. The authorities have said no such group existed but acknowledged the gunmen were radical Islamists who were carrying details about foreign embassies. In May, Algerian security forces said they had arrested three Libyans in Algiers, planning to join al Qaeda's north African wing. Newspapers estimate several dozen nationals of neighbouring states may have come to Algeria to train with al Qaeda's north Africa wing in recent months, but there is no firm word on the size of their presence. Al Qaeda's north Africa wing said last month it was planning a violent campaign against "infidels" and government forces in the Maghreb region and urged Muslims to stay away from possible targets, according to a statement posted on the Internet. The armed movement, known previously as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), has switched tactics from hit and run raids in rural areas to high-profile urban bombings. Triple suicide attacks killed 33 people in Algiers in April. Up to 200,000 people have been killed in Algeria since 1992 after military-backed authorities scrapped parliamentary elections that an Islamist party was poised to win. The violence has subsided in recent years but some bloodshed continues, mainly in the mountainous Kabylie region east of Algiers and nearby areas.
