President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's camp said it called off an election rally in the Kabylie region of eastern Algeria on Saturday after a television crew and journalists were assaulted.

Anis Rahmani, head of private pro-Bouteflika channel En-Nahar, told Agence France Presse that a five-man crew from the station was attacked and four of its journalists were injured, one seriously.

Ali Benflis, the main rival to ailing but favorite incumbent Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria's presidential election, told Agence France Presse Saturday his main opponent in the April 17 poll will be fraud.

"Fraud is my principal adversary," said Benflis who was beaten in the 2004 election by Bouteflika.

The United States and Algeria pledged Thursday to work together to battle terrorism, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry paid his first visit to the north African nation.

"Algeria, which has paid a heavy toll to terrorism, will never bow in front of this scourge," Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said at the opening of strategic talks between the two countries.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was due in Algiers later Wednesday at the start of a North African tour expected to be dominated by the threat posed by al-Qaida.

Jihadist violence has plagued the vast Sahel-Sahara region since the 2011 overthrow of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, prompting a French-led military intervention in Algeria's southern neighbor Mali in January last year.

With Algeria's election campaign in full swing, ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is conspicuous by his absence but remains the firm favorite as high-profile allies criss-cross the country to make his controversial case.

The 77-year-old incumbent, who secured landslide victories in the three previous elections, is too sick to take to the campaign trail, barely leaving home after a minor stroke confined him to hospital in Paris for three months last year.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Jordan's King Abdullah II Wednesday in a fresh bid to keep his Middle East peace bid on track, amid fears Israel may renege on a vow to free Palestinian prisoners.

Flying in from an interrupted visit to Rome, Kerry was also to hold talks with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Amman in a bid to "continue to narrow the gaps" between the two sides, his spokeswoman said.

Algerian presidential candidate Ali Benflis on Monday slammed the record of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, saying the ailing incumbent had failed to push through reforms despite 15 years in power.

At a rally in Blida, west of the capital, the former prime minister described as "unsatisfactory" the state of the country's health and education sectors, judiciary and civil freedoms.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's campaign chief promised on Sunday that constitutional changes would create a "broad democracy" if the ailing incumbent wins re-election next month.

Former prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal gave scant details of the long-promised changes as he opened the re-election campaign with a speech in the southern desert town of Adrar.

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said Saturday his ailing health does not "disqualify" his bid to run for a fourth term in polls next month.

"The difficulties linked to my health do no appear to disqualify me in your eyes," he said in a message to the Algerian people on the eve of the start of campaigning, carried by national news agency APS.

Around 40 people demonstrated in Algiers Saturday calling for a change of government, as ailing 77-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika seek reelection next month, an Agence France Presse journalist reported.

Bouteflika, in office since 1999, was hospitalized in Paris last year for three months after suffering a mini-stroke.