12 Foreign Workers Slain in Algeria; Militants Blamed

ALGIERS — Twelve foreign technicians were slaughtered at a construction site, raising to 23 the number of foreigners killed since they became a target of Algeria’s Muslim fundamentalist militants.

The victims, from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, were all Christians and were stabbed to death in a surprise attack on their living quarters Tuesday night, security forces said in a statement Wednesday.

A Croatian diplomat said the victims’ throats were slit as about 50 attackers took control of the compound for two hours.

In Algiers, security forces deployed armored vehicles and intensified patrols as more foreigners sought to leave. Boats and planes bound for Europe were fully booked for the next two weeks.

The Croats and Bosnians, working on a dam and pipeline project for the Croatian company Hidroelektra, were killed near Blida, about 30 miles south of Algiers.

More than 2,000 people have died in the 22 months since Muslim fundamentalists were denied an imminent parliamentary election victory. The second round of voting was canceled, and an army-backed ruling council banned the main fundamentalist party.