AROUND 100 people have been killed including 30 soldiers and 20 civilians since the Algerian government unleashed a drive to wipe out Islamic rebels who refuse to lay down their arms. Government forces are fighting two hardline Armed Islamic Group units at Remka in the Relizane region, about 350km west of the capital Algiers. Between 40 and 70 extremists have been killed in President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s campaign to wipe out remaining rebel groups after they ignored an amnesty deadline on January 13th. Under the peace deal, full or partial amnesty was offered to Islamic fighters not implicated in “blood crimes,” rape or planting bombs during the civil war which has claimed more than 100000 lives since 1992.