This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/6544437.stm

The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 12 Version 13
Explosions rock Algerian capital Explosions rock Algerian capital
(about 1 hour later)
Two blasts in Algeria's capital Algiers have killed at least 23 people and injured 160 - one exploding near the prime minister's office.Two blasts in Algeria's capital Algiers have killed at least 23 people and injured 160 - one exploding near the prime minister's office.
A caller claiming to represent al-Qaeda in the Maghreb told an Arabic TV channel that his group had carried out the attacks.A caller claiming to represent al-Qaeda in the Maghreb told an Arabic TV channel that his group had carried out the attacks.
There has been no independent verification of the claim.There has been no independent verification of the claim.
Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, who was unharmed, called the attacks a "cowardly and criminal act".Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem, who was unharmed, called the attacks a "cowardly and criminal act".
At least nine people died and at least 32 were wounded in the car bombing outside his offices in Algiers. The official APS agency, quoting the Algerian authorities, said at least 12 people were killed and 118 injured in the attack on the government building and 11 people were killed and 44 injured in the second attack, on a police station in the eastern district of Bab Ezzouar.
Another explosion at a police station in the east killed at least eight people and left at least 50 injured.
The official APS agency, quoting the Algerian authorities, reported the higher toll, but did not give a full breakdown of how many were killed in each of the attacks.
'Cowardice and betrayal''Cowardice and betrayal'
The violence in Algiers comes a day after the authorities in neighbouring Morocco, said they had foiled a plot to target foreign and strategic interests by suicide bombers. Three suspects blew themselves up after being pursued by the authorities, and a fourth was shot dead by police. It also follows clashes with militants in Tunisia earlier this year.
Violent attacks have been increasing in Algeria since the main Islamist rebel group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), changed its name to the al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb in January.Violent attacks have been increasing in Algeria since the main Islamist rebel group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), changed its name to the al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb in January.
This is a crime, a cowardly act Abdelaziz BelkhademAlgerian Prime Minister Profile: Maghreb al-Qaeda In pictures: Algerian blasts Blasts fuel regional fearsThis is a crime, a cowardly act Abdelaziz BelkhademAlgerian Prime Minister Profile: Maghreb al-Qaeda In pictures: Algerian blasts Blasts fuel regional fears
Al-Jazeera TV said this was the group that had claimed responsibility for Wednesday's violence.Al-Jazeera TV said this was the group that had claimed responsibility for Wednesday's violence.
BBC Arab Affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says many analysts will link the surge in violence with the ambitions of the Algerian hardline organisation to spread its campaign to neighbouring countries.
The city centre explosion was so loud it could be heard up to 10km (six miles) away, residents said.The city centre explosion was so loud it could be heard up to 10km (six miles) away, residents said.
Government employees were injured by flying glass and debris, which spread up to 300m (yards) from the site of the blasts.Government employees were injured by flying glass and debris, which spread up to 300m (yards) from the site of the blasts.
Ambulances went to the scene and police blocked entry to the prime minister's office, which also houses the offices of the interior minister.Ambulances went to the scene and police blocked entry to the prime minister's office, which also houses the offices of the interior minister.
The police station attack happened in the eastern suburb of Bab Ezzouar.
Speaking on Algerian radio, Mr Belkhadem denounced the bombings, which come as the government says it is working towards national reconciliation.Speaking on Algerian radio, Mr Belkhadem denounced the bombings, which come as the government says it is working towards national reconciliation.
"This is a crime, a cowardly act," Mr Belkhadem said."This is a crime, a cowardly act," Mr Belkhadem said.
In February, the GSPC carried out a series of bomb attacks on police stations - but the BBC's Middle East analyst, Roger Hardy, says car bombings in the capital itself have become rare. Alarm bells
He says the Algerian government has prided itself on the fact that the vicious killings of the mid-1990s - the product of a brutal war between the security forces and a variety of armed Islamist groups - are now a thing of the past. Our analyst says the attacks are a serious blow for the Algerian authorities which have for years fought Islamist militants. Despite an amnesty announced two years ago, the violence in Algeria has never completely died down since its height in the mid-1990s.
That violence began when the army took power and cancelled elections which an Islamist opposition group was poised to win. The latest scenes of blood on the streets of Algiers will revive painful memories of that civil strife that lasted for a decade and left an estimated 150,000 people dead.
Our correspondent says analysts believe the GSPC has a more ambitious agenda and is building up networks in neighbouring Morocco and Tunisia - as well as among Muslim militants in Europe. Magdi Abdelhadi says the spectre of a resurgent al-Qaeda operating in North Africa, close to Europe's southern border, will send the alarm bells ringing in European capitals. It may also have a devastating impact on the prospect of more open and democratic societies in the region.
Last August, Algeria offered Islamist militants a six-month amnesty on condition of surrender. He says that like in other Arab states, the authorities have used the threat of terror in the past to curb civil and political freedoms.
Are you in the region? If you have any information you'd like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below.
Are you in the region? If you have any information you'd like to share with the BBC you can do so using the form below.
You can send your pictures and moving footage to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 0044 7725 100 100You can send your pictures and moving footage to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 0044 7725 100 100
Click here for terms and conditions on sending photos and videoClick here for terms and conditions on sending photos and video
When taking photos or filming please do not endanger yourself or others, take unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.When taking photos or filming please do not endanger yourself or others, take unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
Name:
 Name: