52 villagers' throats cut out in Algeria

Attackers killed 52 Algerian Villagers in an orgy of killing after a two-week lull in civilian massacres, sources said yesterday.

They said the victims, mostly women and children, died in the Beni Slimane area, 45 miles south of the capital, Algiers overnight on Friday and Saturday.

They were found dead on Saturday morning with their throats slashed, one source said.

Le Soir newspaper said that the victims were were residents of Guelb El Kebier, six miles from Beni Slimane in the Medea province, and added that the bodies had been taken to the hospital, Al Ahram daily said today.