Photo taken on Dec. 19, 2019 shows Ahmed Gaid Salah attending the presidential inauguration ceremony for Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algiers, Algeria. Algerian army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah died of a heart attack on Monday, a statement of the presidency was quoted as saying by the APS news agency. (Xinhua)
ALGIERS, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Algerian army chief Ahmed Gaid Salah died of a heart attack on Monday, a statement of the presidency was quoted as saying by the APS news agency.
Newly-elected president Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed current Ground Forces Commander Said Chengriha as the interim army chief of staff, the report said.
Tebboune further announced a seven-day mourning in memory of late Gaid Salah, with national flags to fly at half mast, the source added.
Gaid Salah was hit by a heart attack in his house early in the morning and was rushed to a military hospital in Algiers where he succumbed at the age of 80.
Gaid Salah was a key element in the changes occurred recently in Algeria. He forced former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down over public protest demand, and called up justice to launch a wide scale anti-corruption operation sending some high ranked officials to prison.
Gaid Salah called for sticking to the constitutional path and insisted on organizing a presidential election to avoid constitutional vacuum.
He served as the commander of the Ground Forces from 1994 to 2004, and then promoted as the army chief of staff.
