Algerian massacre claims 27 lives

Attackers brutally killed 27 villagers in southwestern Algeria, 48 hours after the killing of more than 80 civilians in the same region, an Algerian newspaper said yesterday.

Among the 27 killed was a 12-day-old baby who was decapitated while he was clutching his slain mother, the report said.

Assailants stormed Zoubria hamlet near Tairet, 140 miles southwest of Algiers, on Wednesday night killing 27 people, said Liberte newspaper. Le-Matin newspaper said 26 died in the massacre, Al-Ahrar daily said.