Armed militants kill 93 villagers

ALGIERS - An armed group killed 93 villagers, including women and children, yesterday in the bloodiest such attack since the …

ALGIERS - An armed group killed 93 villagers, including women and children, yesterday in the bloodiest such attack since the start of an Islamic insurgency five years ago, authorities said.

Security forces announced without comment the death toll in the pre-dawn massacre in the village about 20 kms (12 miles) south of Algiers.

Members of a family who fled described the heavily-armed group as Islamic guerrillas who killed villagers because they refused to "collaborate". No further details were immediately available. At least 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict between security forces and militants.