CAIRO (Reuters) - Algerian troops and police have dismantled a militant cell that planned to carry out attacks during election gatherings, private Ennahar TV reported on Wednesday.

It said the cell was discovered in the western city of Oran and consisted of three people, and that security operations were continuing in the area. It was not immediately clear whether the cell was affiliated with al Qaeda or Islamic State, which both have branches in Algeria.

The country has been convulsed by weeks of mass protests demanding the removal of the aged political elite. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has reversed plans to seek a fifth term, postponed elections set for next month and promised to introduce greater freedoms.