At least 29 people have been killed in the Bechar region of western Algeria, in the worst attack on civilians since the election of President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika four months ago. In a 15 August statement, security officials blamed Islamist militants for the killings in Beni Ounif, saying that the victims had been dispatched "in a cowardly way," meaning that their throats had been cut. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
