| And happy holidays to you, too... |
Suspected Islamic militants killed 16 people heading to a soccer match in a pre-dawn ambush south of Algeria's capital Saturday _ the first bloodshed since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, an official statement said. The victims, mostly youths, were driving to Algiers for the match when they were ambushed on the road near Medea, 30 miles south of the capital. They were buried Saturday, and the mourners included Interior Minister Noureddine Yazid Zerhouni. In the past, Algeria's Islamic rebels have intensified their campaign of violence during Ramadan, killing about 1,200 people during the month of fasting in 1997 at the height of their insurgency. |