16 Algerians killed in attack
2004-10-23 16:16
Algiers - Sixteen people have been killed in an attack by an armed group of suspected Islamist militants in southern Algeria, state television said on Saturday.
The report said Friday's attack had happened near the town of Medea, some 80km south of Algiers.
Earlier the El Watan daily said eight people had been killed and four wounded on Friday evening when Islamist militants stopped a vehicle carrying fans to a football match in the capital Algiers at a checkpoint.
According to a tally based on official and press reports, more than 70 people have been killed since the start of September in unrest involving the extremist Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), the main group that continues to carry out attacks.
The Islamic extremist rebellion has claimed some 150 000 lives across the country since 1992.