Government Blames Insurgents For 32 Killings In Algeria

Armed men killed 32 people in three weekend attacks in Algeria, including 17 people whose throats were slit, security forces said Sunday.

No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but authorities lay the blame for violence wracking Algeria on Islamic insurgents trying to topple the military-backed regime.

A statement by the security forces, read on state-run radio, said armed men slit the throats of 17 people early Sunday near Saida, 275 miles southwest of Algiers. Seven others were wounded in the attack, the radio said.

Some of the victims were members of a self-defense group. Such groups, armed by the government, are prime targets for insurgents, as are their relatives.