Editing Tadjena massacre

{{Short description|1998 terrorist attacks in Algeria}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more footnotes needed|date=January 2014}}
{{External links|date=January 2022}}
}}{{Infobox civilian attack
| title            = Tadjena massacre
| location         = [[Tadjena]], [[Algeria]]
| date             = 8 December 1998
| partof           = [[Algerian Civil War]]
| fatalities       = 81
| perpetrators     = [[Armed Islamic Group of Algeria]]
}}
{{Campaignbox Algerian Civil War}}{{Algerian massacres of 1998}}
The '''Tadjena massacre''' was an incident resulting in 81 deaths. Beginning about 9:00&nbsp;p.m. on December 8 and continuing until early December 9, 1998, 81 villagers (45 according to the initial reports) were killed by armed groups in the mountain villages of Bouhamed and Ayachiche just north of [[Tadjena]], some {{convert|170|km|0|abbr=on}} west of [[Algiers]], in the [[Chlef]] region of western [[Algeria]]. The manner of killing is reported to have been notably sadistic, mutilating victims and burning corpses; [[CNN]] quoted a survivor as saying that "attackers slashed the throats of children, cutting the arms and legs off one of them and throwing the body in a boiling pot."  In addition, 20 women (8 according to initial reports) were kidnapped. Another 7 people had been killed there on the previous night.  The [[massacre]] took place about ten days before the beginning of [[Ramadan]].

The massacre was reported by a Member of Parliament in a televised parliamentary debate.  The massacre site was later visited by the Interior Minister, [[Mostefa Bensamour]].  The authorities announced a manhunt for the murderers responsible on the national radio, and declared that a "terrorist band" was responsible.  A nearby mountain was described as a major [[Armed Islamic Group]] (GIA) base; the GIA is thus presumed to be responsible.  However (at least as of December 10, 1998) no group had admitted to the massacre.

Tadjena was later subjected to a second smaller massacre on the 25–26 May 2003, when 7 people were killed on the 25th and another 14 from a single family on the 26th.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2003%20News%20archives/May%202003%20News/28%20n/Many%20Injured%20as%20Strong%20Tremor%20Hits%20Algeria%20Anew.htm |title=Many Injured as Strong Tremor Hits Algeria Anew |website=aljazeerah.info |access-date=25 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040909104444/http://aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2003%20News%20archives/May%202003%20News/28%20n/Many%20Injured%20as%20Strong%20Tremor%20Hits%20Algeria%20Anew.htm |archive-date=9 September 2004 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of massacres in Algeria]]
* [[List of Algerian massacres of the 1990s]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/231674.stm BBC]
* [http://www.polkonline.com/stories/121098/int_algeria.shtml AP Report - 10th]
* [http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/19981211/34650234.html AP report - 11th]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041126205250/http://www.turkishdailynews.com/old_editions/12_10_98/for3.htm AP]
* [http://cgi.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9812/09/algeria.massacre.02/ CNN - 9th]
* [http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9812/10/algeria.massacre/ CNN - 10th]
* [http://home.worldcom.ch/~hijra/tajena.html Massacre de Tadjena- Nuit du 8 au 9 décembre 1998] (French, with photos)
* [http://www.humanite.presse.fr/journal/1998-12-10/1998-12-10-430115 Humanite]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/1998/12/981210-algeria.htm Voice of America]

{{coord missing|Algeria}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tadjena Massacre}}
[[Category:Massacres during the Algerian Civil War]]
[[Category:1998 murders in Algeria]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1998]]
[[Category:December 1998 in Africa]]
[[Category:December 1998 crimes]]
[[Category:Dismemberments]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Algeria in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Africa in 1998]]
[[Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 1998]]
[[Category:Mass stabbings in Algeria]]
[[Category:Stabbing attacks in 1998]]
[[Category:Child murder in Africa]]
[[Category:Violence against women in Algeria]]
[[Category:Kidnappings in Algeria]]
[[Category:Mass kidnappings]]
[[Category:Kidnapping in the 1990s]]
[[Category:Armed Islamic Group of Algeria attacks]]
[[Category:History of Chlef Province]]