More killings in Algeria

The security forces in Algeria have reported the killings of nine civilians in the western region of Tlemcen.

The exact details of the attack were not disclosed but a statement by the Algerian news agency said the victims were killed in a barbaric manner -- an expression that usually means their throats were cut.

On Thursday, the Algerian security forces said that four people were wounded in a bomb explosion in the capital Algiers.

An official statement said the bomb went off in Rue Patrice Lumumba in central Algiers.

Earlier, Algerian newspapers said the armed forces had killed 31 rebels in their latest operations against suspected Islamic militant strongholds.