Oueid Khenig-Roum bombing

Following the end of the Algerian Civil War, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, the predecessor to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), launched limited incursions and bombings into Algerian territory as it consolidated power in Mali, Niger, and Mauritania.^[1] Many of these attacks targeted Algerian soldiers. In December 2020, a shootout in Jijel Province killed an Algerian officer and three AQIM jihadists.^[1] At the beginning of January 2021, clashes between Algerian soldiers and AQIM killed three soldiers and six fighters.^[1]

The bombing occurred on January 14 when a civilian car drove over a homemade landmine on a road in the rural Oueid Khenig-Roum region of Tebessa.^[2] The drivers were hunters from Bir el Ater, and were on their way to a hunting area.^[3] Five civilians were killed and three others were wounded in the explosion. In the statement released by the Algerian Ministry of Defense announcing the bombing, Algerian authorities also stated that a shootout several hours later between Algerian authorities and a jihadist in Khenchela Province killed the jihadist.^[1] The jihadist killed was monitoring the area to scope out locations for a jihadist attack.^[3]

The bombing at Oueid Khenig-Roum was the deadliest attack on civilians in Algeria in several years.^[4] The bombing was also the first civilian vehicle bombing by jihadists in Algeria in ten years.^[3] Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack but stated they did not intend to kill civilians.^[5] Egypt condemned the bombing in a statement released on January 15.^[6]