A suicide bomber blew up a refrigerated truck allegedly packed with up to a ton of explosives inside a military encampment southeast of the Algerian capital on Wednesday, killing 10 soldiers and wounding up to 35, a security official said.
Al-Qaeda's North African affiliate claimed responsibility for the truck attack, saying the truck carried more than almost a tonne of explosives, the al-Jazeera TV network reported, quoting a recorded message from an alleged spokesman for the group.
The truck drove into the small post on the edge of Lakhdaria, some 80km from Algiers, as the doors opened in the morning for arriving personnel, the security official said. He was not authorized to discuss the bombing and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official APS news agency reported eight soldiers killed. The security official confirmed that information, but said two more soldiers had died on the way to a hospital.
The suicide bombing -- a new tactic in Algeria -- came the day of the opening of the Africa Games, with venues in Algiers and the towns of Blida and Boumerdes. Lakhdaria sits midway between the two towns.
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