Moderate Leader of Islamic Front Slain

A prominent leader of Algeria’s outlawed Islamic Salvation Front who opposed the government but had spoken out for peace and reconciliation was slain as he was leaving a dental clinic in Algiers. Abdelkader Hachani, 43, was shot twice in the head and once in the chest by an unknown assailant, according to news service reports and a statement on state-run radio. The slaying is a fresh blow to President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s efforts to end an armed insurgency in which a radical Muslim underground has sought to overthrow Algeria’s army-backed, secular government for almost eight years. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.