Four oil workers killed in Algeria bus attack

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

ALGIERS, Mar 4 (Reuters) Three Algerians and a Russian were killed in a roadside attack on a bus carrying workers for a Russian gas pipeline construction company, the Russian Foreign Ministry today said.

The bus was travelling 130 km (80 miles) south-west of the Algerian capital, Algiers, with 21 workers from Stroitransgas, which is building a natural gas pipeline there, it said.

It said the attack included two roadside blasts but gave no details on how they were carried out late yesterday.

Several Russians and Ukrainians were wounded and taken to hospital, it said.

Algerian government officials were unavailable for comment but leading Arabic-language daily al Khabar said the attack was near Kaadat Souane village.

It was the second bomb attack on foreign oil and gas workers since December, when an Islamist group claimed responsibility For bombing a bus carrying oil workers near Algiers.

The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) on December12 vowed to carry out more attacks on foreigners and warned Muslims to stay away from the ''interests of the infidels to avoid harm''.

GSPC, renamed the Al Qaeda Organisation in Islamic Maghreb, claimed responsibility for seven deadly bomb attacks on February 13 in two neighbouring provinces east of Algiers.

REUTERS SHB RN1852

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