Rebels Reportedly Kill 16 Villagers

Muslim guerrillas massacred 16 people in a village overnight, beheading some of them with axes, villagers said. About 50 rebels, divided into four groups, attacked Ben Achour village in Blida province, 30 miles south of the capital, Algiers, at night and killed 16 people from five families, including old people and a disabled man, the villagers said. Pro-government armed volunteers said the rebels turned on the civilians after fighting a three-hour gun battle with the anti-rebel militiamen in which more than 10 guerrillas were killed.