UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his shock and condemnation of the recent car bombing that killed 17 UN staff in Algiers. Ban emphasized that terrorism is never justified and must be condemned by the international community. He was deeply saddened by the attack, which was one of two bombings that day resulting in the deaths of at least 37 people in Algiers. These attacks were a stark reminder of the challenges faced by the country as it seeks to recover from a devastating civil war in the 1990s. "I extend my deepest sympathies to the government and people of Algeria, as well as to the families of the victims and my UN colleagues." Witnesses reported that Ban was taken in a heavily guarded convoy to the Hydra district, where he surveyed the damaged offices of the UN's refugee agency and Development Programme. Reporters were not allowed to join him at the site. The second suicide car bombing on Dec. 11 targeted the Constitutional Court building in the Ben Aknoun district. Al Qaeda's North African branch claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that they were aimed at those they referred to as "the slaves of America and France." Ban met with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria, where they discussed working together to combat terrorism, as well as addressing issues such as climate change, illegal migration, and the situation in Western Sahara. The United Nations has confirmed that 14 Algerian employees and one individual from Denmark, Senegal, and the Philippines were killed in the attacks. Ban condemned the bombings as an assault on those who serve humanity under the UN banner, while UN Development Programme Administrator Kemal Dervis stated that increased security measures at UN offices worldwide would require additional funding.