28 Villagers Slain in Algeria

ALGIERS — Attackers claiming to be Islamic militants sealed off a village and went on a two-hour rampage Sunday, slashing and hacking 28 villagers to death, the government said.

The massacre came two hours before a car bomb exploded in a suburb of the capital, Algiers, wounding at least 20 people.

Assailants opened the assault on Dhamnia in Ain Defla province, about 75 miles southwest of Algiers, by cutting off roads and phones, government security forces said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The attackers said they were with the Armed Islamic Group, the government said.

The Armed Islamic Group, one of Algeria’s most violent rebel factions, has claimed responsibility for similar attacks during the North African country’s 5-year-old insurgency.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the car bombing later Sunday in El Harrach.