Algeria's army chief dies after severe heart attack

Algiers : Algeria's army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah has died today of a heart attack at age 80, Algerian media reported on Monday.

"The deputy defense minister and chief of staff of the army died Monday morning of a heart attack," said the Algerian Presidency in a statement Monday.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune declared three days of national mourning and appointed land forces commander General Said Chengriha as interim military chief of staff.

Algeria's army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah had made his last public appearance Thursday at the swearing-in of new president Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

Gaid Salah was born in 1940 in Batna region, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) southwest of Algiers, and spent more than six decades in the armed forces.