Car Bomb Kills 21 in Algiers; 36 Slain in Village Massacre

ALGIERS —  A car bomb exploded Sunday outside a downtown cafe, killing at least 21 people and wounding dozens just hours after attackers massacred 36 villagers south of the capital.

A second explosion was reported Sunday near Reghaia, about 15 miles east of Algiers, residents said. There were reports of injuries, but no details.

Government security forces who requested anonymity said they dismantled at least six car bombs in the Algiers area.

The violence was the worst in what has been a bloody 1997 in this North African country, where a five-year Islamic insurgency has killed more than 60,000 people.

The car bomb in downtown Algiers exploded shortly after 8 p.m. and was powerful enough to be heard across the capital. The government said 21 people were killed and at least 30 people were seriously hurt. Hospitals reported at least 60 people were injured, and hundreds of residents went to nearby hospitals and clinics to donate blood.

Witnesses said the bomb exploded in front of a cafe next to a cinema in the popular Belcourt quarter while residents were breaking their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan.

“It’s carnage,” said a man helping at the scene. He did not give his name.

In Beni-Slimane, a village 45 miles south of Algiers, attackers killed 36 people in bloodshed that lasted hours, security forces said. The official APS news agency said some of the victims were decapitated.

It was not clear whether the massacre was late Saturday or early Sunday.

No one claimed responsibility for either attack.

Islamic radicals have been fighting to overthrow the government and install a strict Islamic regime. The insurgency began in January 1992, when the army-backed government canceled legislative elections that candidates of the Islamic Salvation Front were poised to win.

On Saturday, the Algerian government said the first parliamentary elections since 1992 will be held in May and June.