ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Algeria's defense ministry says that 125 "terrorists" have been killed during year 2016, without giving details on their identities and the location of the military operations.

In its monthly magazine El Djeich, the ministry also says that 225 other people have been arrested in its effort to fight terrorism.

The ministry says the military "pursues its mission with determination and rigor, achieving results on the ground this year, including the elimination of a subsequent number of terrorists and criminals and the seizure of war weapons."

This year, the Islamic State group has been trying to expand in Algeria, where al-Qaida's North African branch and other Islamic extremist groups have been based and have long fought Algerian authorities.