Ten years after Algeria's reconciliation deal ending a decade-long civil war that cost tens of thousands of lives, victims are still clamoring for justice and radical groups remain active.

On September 29, 2005, Algerians voted in a referendum to approve a "Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation" that led to 8,500 armed Islamists being pardoned in exchange for their surrender.

Torrential rains in southern Algeria left 12 people dead, including nine foreigners, the country's civil protection unit said on Thursday.

The bodies were collected by civil protection agents after the heavy rains triggered floods early Thursday morning in the town of Tamanrasset, in Algeria's deep south, according to the APS news agency.

Arms seized during a swoop on an alleged extremist cell entered the country from Algeria, a Moroccan security official charged on Monday.

"Those arrested were awaiting the arrival of a Syrian expert to train them in making explosives they planned to use against public figures and places," Abdelhak El Khayyam, head of Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, told AFP. 

Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his allies will have free rein to prepare for the aging leader's succession with the removal of the once-powerful intelligence chief, experts and local media said Monday.

Bouteflika has ruled the oil-rich North African state since 1999, but concerns have been growing over how much longer he can stay in power.

The replacement of Algeria's military intelligence chief, seen as a behind-the-scenes political kingmaker for a quarter of a century, marks the "end of an era," Algerian newspapers said on Monday.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika replaced General Mohamed Mediene, better known as General Toufik, on Sunday in a move that sealed his full control over the shadowy security services.

Algerian leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika has replaced his powerful intelligence chief, the presidency said on Sunday, in the latest move in a shake-up of the security forces.

The presidency said in a statement that General Mohamed Mediene, better known as Toufik, had been replaced by his deputy General Bachir Tartag after heading the DRS intelligence service for 25 years.

Algeria confirmed Saturday the arrest of the former head of counter-terrorism, whose detention was reported by the media last month.

"The case of General Hassan is now before the judiciary," Ahmed Ouyahia, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's chief of staff, told a news conference, without giving further details.

Algerian soldiers killed two Islamist gunmen Wednesday during an ongoing operation against Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb group, the defense ministry said.

The two were killed near Ain el-Hamra village in the Boumerdes region, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Algiers.

Algeria, Niger and Chad on Sunday stressed the urgency of creating a national unity government to solve the conflict in their neighbor Libya.

Algeria's African affairs ministers and the foreign ministers of Niger and Chad stressed the importance of such a government "to preserve Libya's unity and territorial integrity and its people's cohesion."

Algeria's security services have been rocked by the arrest of the anti-terrorism chief and sackings of top officials in recent weeks, as a behind-the-scenes power struggle intensifies.

The oil-rich North African state has been ruled since 1999 by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but concerns have been growing over how much longer he can stay in power.