Algiers - Presumed members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have killed six people in two separate attacks in Algeria over the weekend, local media reported on Monday.

On a farm in the north-east of the country, the attackers first forced the farmer to watch as they slaughtered his flock of 300 sheep, the daily Liberte reported. Then they killed the farmer in front of his family before detonating a bomb that took the lives of three other family members and another person.

The attack took place late Saturday in the district of Tebessa, near the border with Tunisia.

A policeman was killed and two others were gravely injured in a second attack that also took place late Saturday in eastern Algeria. The attackers were armed with machine-guns and grenades and tried to burn down a government building by setting two gas tanks on fire.

Violence in Algeria has grown worse with the approach of general elections, scheduled for April 9. (dpa)