The BBC's John Simpson analyses the groups thought behind the massacres (5'46")

Newspapers in Algeria say more than 50 villagers, including children, have been killed in the latest of a series of bloody attacks which the government blames on Islamic extremists.

In the worst incident, 26 members of three families were killed in the isolated village, Benni Yeddou, 90 kilometres south of the capital, Algiers.

Details of the latest atrocities

Reports say four young girls were abducted by the attackers when the security forces arrived.

One newspaper said the arrival of the security forces prevented more deaths. It said that six gunmen had been killed after a search of the area.

In another incident, 20 people were killed in Tablat, 75 kilometres south of the capital, and nine members of the same family were slaughtered in Saida, which lies 330 kilometres south-west of Algiers.

Security forces intervened in one of the attacks

According to the reports, some of the victims in the latest attacks had their throats cut.

A survivor in one village said the attackers wore Afghan-style clothes - a reference to Islamic militants who fought in the war in Afghanistan and are believed to be active in extremist groups.

Death toll mounting

As many as 1,000 people have died in the latest violence, which began at the start of the holy month of Ramadan less than two weeks ago.

In the UK, the Observer newspaper is continuing its long-running investigation into the atrocities in Algeria.

Returning to its theme that the security forces are implicated, the paper interviews two men who say that they used to be paramilitary policemen.

Both say they worked in conjunction with special forces death squads, cutting the electricity supply to villages prior to attacks and then cleaning up once the soldiers had massacred villagers including children, usually slitting their throats.

The European Union is sending a mission to Algiers to discuss the situation - the first such intervention by the EU in the current conflict.

The army-backed government in Algeria agreed on Thursday to the EU visit, but reiterated its rejection of any international inquiry into the massacres.

The delegation is expected to be made up of officials from Britain, Luxembourg and Austria, but its precise mandate has not been settled.

However, human rights groups believe that the EU mission will not be sufficient.

A spokesman for the human rights group, Human Rights Watch, said the scope of any mission to Algeria needed to be wider than discussing ways of combating terrorism and providing humanitarian aid.

Between 60,000 and 80,000 have died in the past six years since the Algerian authorities cancelled a general election which Islamic fundamentalists seemed poised to win.
 

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