Algiers - Five people have been found with their throats slit near Tiaret, 250 km south-west of Algiers, the daily newspapers Liberte and Le Matin reported yesterday.
The bodies of the five were found in the village of Mechraasfa. They were nomads who travelled there to collect straw for their herds.
Meanwhile, 17 armed Islamists were killed in three security operations in Bouira, Tipaza and Blida, south of Algiers.