UN chief condemn Algeria bombing
United Nations, Sep 8: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council today condemned the suicide bombing in Algeria as a terrorist attack, saying killing civilians was unacceptable under any circumstance.
At least 19 people were killed in the town of Batna and more than 100 people were wounded in Thursday's attack about 45 minutes before the scheduled arrival of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika at a mosque, Algerian authorities said.
France's UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the current Security Council president, called a formal meeting of the 15-nation body to condemn ''in the strongest terms the terrorist attack.'' The policy statement, read by Ripert, said the bombing ''underlines the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism to justice.'' He said that ''any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed.'' Separately, Ban, traveling in Chad, issued a statement condemning the suicide bombing. He urged ''once again that the international community work together to reject and to combat terrorism in all of its expressions.'' The blast was the first time a suicide attacker in Algeria has detonated a bomb strapped to his body, rather than using a car bomb, Algerians said. It was also the first apparently timed to coincide with a visit by Bouteflika.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but rebels grouped in the so-called al Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb have said they carried out previous suicide bombings.
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