Bomb Kills 17, Injures 12 at Party in Algeria
A bomb exploded at a party southwest of the Algerian capital, killing 17 people, including two children, and wounding 12 others, security officials said Saturday.
The bomb was thrown into the middle of a celebration late Friday in the small town of Ouzera, 60 miles southwest of Algiers, the officials said.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Authorities have blamed recurring violence on Islamic insurgents, who have been fighting to topple the government of the North African country since 1992. That was the year the military-backed government canceled elections that the Islamic Salvation Front was set to win.
Friday’s attack came just after President Abdelaziz Bouteflika called a national referendum for Sept. 16 on a peace plan intended to end the insurgency.
Since his election in April, Bouteflika has taken several steps to end the conflict, including acknowledging officially that 100,000 people had been killed in the insurgency.
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