Seventeen farmers killed in ambush in Algeria

A convoy of farmers have been killed after they were ambushed on a rural road in western Algeria.

Reports say the throats of 17 victims were slashed.

The group were returning from a day in the fields when the four trucks they were riding in were stopped at a false roadblock.

The attackers, some wearing military fatigues, then converged on the convoy.

The attack in Ouled-Bouaza is one of the bloodiest in recent weeks in conflict-ridden Algeria, where Islamic militants are waging a violent campaign to topple the military-backed Government.

Reports said the farmers had chosen the road to avoid travelling along the region's main route, which residents tend to avoid after dusk for safety reasons.

After the massacre, Government security services were dispatched to the area to search for the attackers.

The attack brings to 26 the number of people who have been killed in the space of 72 hours in western Algeria.