December 11, 2007

Algerian Bombings Leave Dozens Dead

Two bombings rocked Algiers today, killing at least 27 people. The bombs targeted the Algerian capital's judiciary and UN refugee offices, and at least one of the explosions came from a suicide attack. That puts suspicion on the al-Qaeda affiliate, the GSPC:

Two bomb attacks in the Algerian capital -- one on the UN refugee agency office and one in front of the Supreme Court -- killed at least 27 people Tuesday, officials and other sources said.

Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni said a suicide bomber was used in at least one of the two attacks -- the latest in a series this year which have mostly been claimed by Al-Qaeda.

"The death toll is very high," the minister told reporters.

Zerhouni said a suicide bomber triggered the explosion outside the Algiers office of the UN Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the attack.

The GSPC (now calling itself al-Qaeda in the Maghreb) has been one of the busiest AQ affiliates, almost prolific than al-Qaeda in Iraq this year. AFP recounts GSPC operations that have left more than 100 dead this year. Three attacks came in September alone, after AQ called for attacks on French targets in Algeria.

An attack on the UN seems rather unusual, especially on a refugee center. This particular office is in a target-rich environment, where diplomatic residences and government ministry offices are constantly patrolled by police. The suicide bomber may have mistaken the UNHCR office for a more desirable target.

The UN suffered a suicide-bomb attack in Iraq in the opening months of the Iraq occupation, but that probably came from the native insurgencies. It pulled out of Iraq in 2003 and still hasn't returned in any substantial manner. Will they remain in Algieria after this attack? Did AQ mean to drive them out?

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This time in Algeria, where brave, brave jihadis of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb set off multiple car bombs attacking the Algerian Constitutional Court and the headquarters of the UN refugee agency in Algeria: A pair of car bombs in [Read More]

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