Algerian leader axes spy chief

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has replaced the longstanding head of the country’s military intelligence agency in his latest move to curb the spy chief ’s influence in politics, two security sources said yesterday.

Analysts said Mohamed Mediene, chief of the DRS intelligence service, had long played the role of political kingmaker by seeking to influence leadership choices in Algeria’s behind-the-scenes power struggles.