July 11, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1423

ALGIERS, July 10: Fourteen people, including two children and four policemen, were killed when they were attacked overnight by armed assailants in western Algeria, security officials said Wednesday.

Ten people, among them two children and four women, were killed in Tiaret, 340 kilometres west of the capital, Algiers, by suspected Islamic extremists from the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), the officials said.

An earlier toll had nine dead including five children.

Officials said the tenth victim, a woman, had died in the morning in hospital as medical staff battled to save her life.

All the victims were from the same family, and were shot. Three people were injured.

In a separate attack, four policemen were slain in an ambush in the coastal town of Gouraya, 140 kilometres west of Algiers, security officials said.

The ambush was believed to have been laid by the GIA, which is known to operate in the region. The GIA is one of two extremist groups still active in Algeria, together with the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat.—AFP