2 separate car bombs kill 11 and many more injured

Two near-simultaneous car bombings occurred in the town of Bouira, located approximately 90 mi/150 km east of Algiers, on 20 August 2008. The first device exploded at around 0600 local time, targeting a military command post. The second bombing occurred outside Hotel Sofi, the largest hotel in Bouira, approximately 15 minutes after the initial attack. The car bomb exploded next to a bus picking up passengers from the hotel, reportedly for transportation to a nearby dam construction project; the bus was the apparent target. According to unconfirmed reports, the passengers may have been Canadian nationals working at the project. At least 11 people were killed and 31 others were injured in the two attacks; most of the casualties resulted from the attack at the hotel and involved civilians. At this point, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but they were more than likely perpetrated by militants from the al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The group has carried out numerous attacks in the country since early 2007, several of which targeted foreign personnel. It remains unknown whether the bombings were perpetrated by suicide bombers or via remote control. The 20 August attacks come one day after a bombing attack targeted a military training school in Issers, located 34 mi/55 km east of Algiers.