Blast kills soldiers in Algeria

A truck bomb exploded at an Algerian army barracks yesterday, killing eight soldiers in the deadliest attack claimed by al Qaeda's north Africa wing since a triple suicide bombing in April.

The blast in Lakhdaria village 120 km east of the capital in the Kabylie region happened hours before the opening in Algiers of the All Africa Games, a prestigious sports event regarded as Africa's Olympics which Algeria is hosting. The 0530 GMT blast was caused by a truck bomb and the eight dead and 23 wounded were soldiers. Residents, citing unconfirmed reports, said the assault was carried out by a suicide bomber who gained access to the barracks by posing as the driver of a food delivery truck. Another bomb exploded close to a group of gendarmes on patrol near the village of Tigzirt in the same region later yesterday, killing one and injuring another, local residents said.