International community condemns terrorist bombings in Algeria

2007-04-12

[File] Ban Ki-moon

In separate statements issued Wednesday (April 11th), the international community strongly condemned the twin bomb attacks in the Algerian capital. The EU presidency expressed shock and outrage at the assaults and conveyed its sympathy to the families of the victims. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also deplored the incident, stressing that the recent 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". The US State Department issued a similar message in which it said the terrorist bomb attacks in Algeria show al-Qaeda and its allies pose a very real threat in North Africa. The statement continued that the US government stands fully behind the Moroccan and Algerian people in their efforts to fight terror.

Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, as well as the Rabat-based Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) denounced the rise of extremism in the Maghreb.

According to the latest news from Algeria's state information agency APS, the death toll from the two blasts reached 24, while the number of wounded was reported at 222. The two bombs exploded nearly simultaneously on Wednesday morning, one targeting the Government Palace and the second aimed at a police station. The Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, the new name for the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) claimed responsibility for the attacks. Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem described the attack on his office as "a criminal and cowardly act", urging Algerians to be more vigilant. (APS, El Moudjahid, El Watan, Infosoir, AP, AFP, Reuters, AKI, Xinhua, Bloomberg)