Al-Qaeda branch claims responsibility for Algeria bomb attack

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said Sunday it had carried out a twin suicide attack on an Algerian military academy that killed 18 people.
  
A brief statement said AQIM "claims responsibility for the two martyr operations" on Friday which "targeted the heart of Algeria's Cherchell military institution", about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Algerian capital.
  
The authenticity of the statement, sent by a man identifying himself as "Salah Abou Mohamed, official in charge of information of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb organization" could not immediately be ascertained.
  
The text said another statement on "jihadist sites" would be published at a later date.
  
The bombers, one on a motorcycle, reportedly set off explosions a few seconds apart in front of the entrance to the academy's officers' mess hall, just as soldiers were assembled to break the Ramadan fast.