Bombs kill one, wound 49 in western Algeria

Two bombs exploded almost simultaneously in two cafes in the western Algerian town of Tlemcen, killing one person and wounding 30, an Algerian newspaper said on July 20.

The homemade bombs ripped through the cafes in central Tlemcen at about 10:30 a.m. on July 19, destroying the two coffee shops, El Watan newspaper said.

The first explosion at le Palmier cafe in the Bab Zir district killed a man aged about 50. The second blast hit another cafe near a prison in the center of Tlemcen, said El Watan.

A total of 30 people were wounded it said.

A huge blast had previously rocked Tlemcen on May 24, the first day of campaigning for Algeria's June 5 general election, killing several people, according to Algerian papers.

El Watan said five attacks occurred in Tlemcen in the past two months in addition to other attacks along a main road linking the city to neighboring Nedroma.

The reported bombs were the latest in a series of blasts marking the bloody trail of Algeria's five and half years of violence pitting "Moslem" rebels against government forces.

At least 21 people were killed last week when a bomb ripped through an Algiers market crowded with women shoppers and children. The authorities blame "Moslem" rebels for the bombings and other attacks targeting ordinary civilians.

More than 350 people have been killed in massacres of villagers in remote hamlets and in bomb attacks, mainly in Algiers, since the June election Algerians hoped would help end the conflict in their country.