ALGIERS (AFP) - Alleged Algerian Islamists killed 11 people at Chaiba, 40 kilometers (25 miles) west of Algiers. The group attacked the hamlet of Drimine, part of Chaiba, late Wednesday. Some victims were shot while others had their throats slashed.

Among those dead were six children and a young woman, who was kidnapped and her body found several hours later, witnesses said. A civilian militia intervened to stop more people being killed.

The attack happened the day before the Eid al-Adha festival. Unofficial tallies indicate that more than 400 people have died since January 13, when an amnesty offered by the government of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika expired. The dead included more than 100 Islamists.