Algeria hit by surge in guerrilla violence

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11 April 2007 – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today spoke out against the deadly blasts that rocked Algeria, calling the “deplorable” attacks further evidence of the need for concerted global action to fight terrorism.

“The Secretary-General strongly condemns the terrorist bombings that occurred today in Algeria, killing and wounding many innocent civilians in what has been reported as an attempt against the Prime Minister,” a spokesperson for Mr. Ban said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General believes this deplorable incident, the latest in a series of similar attacks in the Maghreb region as a whole, shows the need for concerted international action against terrorism which has the effect of undermining the normal functioning of societies and disrupting the lives of ordinary people,” spokesperson Marie Okabe said.

Earlier this year, in an address to the General Assembly, Mr. Ban said terrorism “strikes against everything the United Nations stands for” and called the fight against the scourge “our common mission.”

Condemning blasts in Algeria, Ban Ki-moon urges global action against terror

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PARIS, April 11 (KUNA) -- France expressed "horror and indignation" Wednesday after at least 27 people were killed and scores injured in two major bomb attacks in the Algerian capital, Algiers.

President Jacques Chirac sent a message of sympathy to President Abdulaziz Boutelflika and to the Algerian people after the tragedy, his spokesman Jerome Bonnafont said.

Separately, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he wanted to "express horror and indignation" and "address his most sincere condolences to the families of the victims and other loved ones." The French Minister also assured the Algerian authorities of France's "full solidarity in their fight against terrorism."

France expresses horror after bomb attacks in Algeria

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Brussels, April 11, IRNA -- EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana strongly condemned Wednesday's two bomb blasts in Algeria's capital Algiers which killed at least 23 people and injured 160 .

"These are horrible and cowardly acts," he said in a statement.

Yesterday events in Casablanca and today's attacks in Algiers remind us of how much alertness, determination and coordination one needs to face the terror menace, he added.

On her part, European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said, "this type of act is barbaric and does not achieve any purpose."

Algeria can count on Europe for its support in the fight against terrorism, which today is a world wide problem, provided it is in accordance with the rule of law and respect for human rights, she said in a statement.

Solana condemns cowardly attacks in Algeria

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Amnesty International condemns in the strongest terms the bomb attacks which today rocked the Algerian capital, Algiers. At least 23 people died and over 160 were injured, according to a provisional set of figures announced by the Interior Ministry.

The first explosion occurred at the entrance to the headquarters of the Algerian government, in the centre of the city, reportedly killing at least 12. A second attack, reportedly leading to the deaths of at least 11, took place shortly afterwards near a police station in the eastern residential district of Bab Ezzouar, on the road to the international airport and not far from one of the capital’s universities. According to witnesses, the attack involved three car bombs. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for any of the blasts.

The attacks, which appear to have been mainly targeted at civilians, are the first since the 1990s in which powerful explosives have targeted the centre of Algiers and caused a high number of casualties.

Amnesty International condemns all deliberate attacks against civilians. Such acts are absolutely prohibited under international law and can never be justified. They demonstrate an utter disregard for the most fundamental principles of humanity.

Amnesty International condemns Algiers bomb attacks

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WASHINGTON, April 11 (KUNA) -- The United States condemns the terrorist attacks that occurred on Tuesday in Casablanca involving suicide bombers, and bomb attacks on Wednesday in Algiers, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Wednesday.

Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for both attacks.

"These horrific acts indiscriminately killed members of the security services and civilians alike," McCormack said during a department briefing.

"We send our deepest sympathies to the victims of these atrocities, their families, and the people of Algeria and Morocco. We stand with the Moroccan and Algerian people and their governments in the struggle against extremism and violence, and support their efforts to secure a future of peace. There is no political justification for the murder of innocent life."

McCormack said he could not confirm any linkage between the two attacks.

"We do know that al Qaeda and al Qaeda affiliates have been active in the past in North Africa," he said. "I expect that the investigation is going to continue to determine who exactly is responsible for the acts. We will support Moroccan and Algerian authorities in whatever appropriate way in order to identify those individuals, and of course we want to see them brought to justice."

U.S. condemns bombings in Casablanca, Algiers

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CAIRO, April 11 (KUNA) -- Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Wednesday condemned the string of of bomb attacks that rocked the North African countries of Algeria and Morocco during the past two days.

"The Arab League strongly condemns... these terrorist acts and what they represent and aim to achieve," Moussa, said in a statement.

Two car bomb attacks rocked the Algerian capital on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 outside the government headquarters and on the road to the international airport.

In Morocco on Wednesday, police were hunting 10 possible suicide bombers in Casablanca, a day after three suspected militants blew themselves up as they were being chased.

Arab League condemns bombings in Algeria, Morocco

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ALGIERS, April 11 (Reuters) - Algiers, a city struggling to shed an unhappy past, felt new apprehension about its future on Wednesday after twin bombings that killed 30 people.

As downcast men and women swept up shattered glass from broken windows, many voiced horror at the idea that the violence that haunted Algeria in the 1990s could make a comeback.

"This is a disaster," said lawyer Tahar bin Taleb, 41, who was buying clothes for his baby daughter when the first bomb went off at the prime minister's headquarters.

"This is international terrorism. It signals great danger ahead for southern Europe and north Africa."

One of the blasts, believed to be a suicide bombing, ripped part of the facade off the prime minister's headquarters in the centre of Algiers. A second bomb hit Bab Ezzouar on its eastern outskirts, the official APS news agency said.

Crowds of men and women ran screaming and shouting from the scene after the downtown blast, some saying they feared attackers were planning a second bomb there.

Rumours of fresh bombings filled the air for the next few hours, raising tension around a Mediterranean city that has been an arena of political conflict since French colonial times.

"Algeria has never seen such a powerful explosion. I cannot understand the message," said a government employee, a bandage covering a head wound, near the prime minister's building.

One man recalled a breezy greeting spoken by a policeman guarding the building in the cool of the spring morning as employees arrived for work. They may have been his last words.

"I was in my car in front of the palace smoking a cigarette when the explosion shook my vehicle. I thought it was an earthquake," said the man, who works at the building.

"I will keep in my memory the image of a policeman who said 'Good Morning' to me at the palace gate a few minutes before the explosion. He was killed. God's blessings on him."

The suicide bomber blew himself up when policemen prevented him from forcing a car through a fence at the entrance to the government palace, a policeman said.

On the eastern outskirts, near the new international airport, a second bomb left residents shocked and fearful.

Soraya, a 26-year-old pharmacist who lives near the police station, said: "I was about to leave home when I heard a big explosion. My ears are still hurting.

"Then I saw the smoke above the roof of the police station. The smell of the powder is still present. I saw people running away - a big panic."

The attacks raised fears the full-scale conflict of the 1990s between the army and Islamist rebels could reignite.

The Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the bombings in an Internet statement, which also included a claim of responsibility for attacks in neighbouring Morocco and pictures of three "martyrs".

The claim could not immediately be verified.

Algiers bombs stir anger, apprehension