BP Hostages Freed, Mostly

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Desert siege: 100 of 132 foreign hostages freed

ALGIERS, Algeria — The bloody three-day hostage standoff at a Sahara natural gas plant took a dramatic turn Friday as Algeria's state news service reported that nearly 100 of the 132 foreign workers kidnapped by Islamic militants had been freed.

That number of hostages at the remote desert facility was significantly higher than any previous report, and still meant that the fate of over 30 foreign energy workers was unclear. Yet it could indicate a potential breakthrough in the confrontation that began when the militants seized the plant early Wednesday.

The militants, meanwhile, offered to trade two captive American workers for two terror figures jailed in the United States, according to a statement received by a Mauritanian news site that often reports news from North African extremists.

The Friday report from the government news agency APS, citing a security official, did not mention any casualties in the battles between Algerian forces and the militants. But earlier it had said that 18 militants had been killed, along with six hostages.

It was not clear whether the remaining foreigners were still captive or had died during the Algerian military offensive to free them that began Thursday.

The desert siege erupted Wednesday when the militants attempted to hijack two buses at the plant, were repulsed, and then seized the sprawling refinery. Algerian troops then surrounded them.

Since then, Algeria's government has kept a tight grip on information about the mass kidnapping. It wasn't clear how the government arrived at the latest tally of hostages, which was far higher than the 41 foreigners the militants had claimed as hostages.

The militants had seized hundreds of workers from 10 nations at Algeria's remote Ain Amenas natural gas plant. The overwhelming majority were Algerian and were freed almost immediately.

Algerian forces retaliated Thursday by storming the plant in an attempted rescue operation that left leaders around the world expressing strong concerns about the hostages' safety.

Militants claimed 35 hostages died on Thursday when Algerian military helicopters opened fire as the Islamists transported the hostages around the gas plant.

On Friday, trapped in the main refinery area, the militants offered to trade two American hostages for two prominent terror figures jailed in the United States. Those the militants sought included Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheikh who was convicted of plotting to blow up New York City landmarks and considered the spiritual leader of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist convicted of shooting at two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

But U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said there would be "no place to hide" for anyone who looks to attack the United States.

"Terrorists should be on notice that they will find no sanctuary, no refuge, not in Algeria, not in North Africa, not anywhere," Panetta said Friday.

Workers kidnapped by the militants came from around the world — Americans, Britons, French, Norwegians, Romanians, Malaysians, Japanese, Algerians.

World leaders have expressed strong concerns in the past few days about how Algeria was handing the situation and its apparent reluctance to communicate.

Terrorized hostages from Ireland and Norway trickled out of the Ain Amenas plant, 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) south of Algiers, the capital. BP, which jointly operates the plant, said it had begun to evacuate employees from Algeria.

"This is a large and complex site and they are still pursuing terrorists and possibly some of the hostages," British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday in London.

He told British lawmakers the situation remained fluid and dangerous, saying "part of the threat has been eliminated in one part of the site, a threat still remains in another part."

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20130116/ML.Algeria.Kidnapping/

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

100 of 132 foreign hostages freed

So 32 didn't make it? Is that the body count?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

100 of 132 foreign hostages freed

So 32 didn't make it? Is that the body count?

That does seem to be the question.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

That does seem to be the question.

The number sounds about right. I read various reports where they spoke of 30-35 fatalities among the hostages.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Seems that the remaining 7 hostages were executed by the terrorists - all 11 of whom are now also all dead.

[momof1 205]

The Algerian state tv is saying around 19 hostages are dead. I take everything they say with a huge grain of salt. They don't give an eff aboutcollateral damage when rooting out terrorists.

Anyone with some time should read about Toufik Medienne so called "god of algeria" and DRS algeria's secret service.

And, if you understand French read "La Sale Guerre" by Habib Souadidia.

The Algerians rooted out most of the issues from the "black years" in the 90s early 2000s with less than stellar tactics. There is a reason Algeria has been so calm while it's neighbors country goverments are being toppled. In other words, the population is too scarred to rise up...for now.

You have to know the backstory to understand why they reacted so harshly so quickly.

It's also good to note that Algeria has the highest annual spending on militery in all of Africa and yet, unlike its neighbors, doesn't accept any monies from the US for that military. Likely becausethey don't want the cooperation or involvemen that comes along with it.

Edited January 20, 2013 by momof1

[scotinmass 588]

Clearly the hostages should have had more guns!

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Clearly the hostages should have had more guns!

Or bigger guns.

[scotinmass 588]

Or bigger guns.

Why? Did they have small penises?

[momof1 205]

They had a military escort that fought off the intial bus attack. I want to know how they infiltrated the plant surrounded by military in the first place. Streets throughout the capital are full of checkpoints and armed gendarmerie. You better believe ttheir billion dollar industry is heavily guarded. Knowing the Algerians, I can tell you we will never know the full true story.

Edited January 20, 2013 by momof1

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

Why? Did they have small penises?

Do you believe that comment is appropriate given the story?

[scotinmass 588]

Do you believe that comment is appropriate given the story?

Probably not.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Clearly the hostages should have had more guns!

32 people might not be dead today if that had.. Or better yet thaey could have asked the State Dept for help.. Wait never mind

Why? Did they have small penises?

I swear you and the boy wonder are obsessed with that issue

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Death toll climbs past 80 in siege in the Sahara

ALGIERS, Algeria — The death toll from the terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara climbed to at least 81 on Sunday as Algerian forces searching the refinery for explosives found dozens more bodies, many so badly disfigured it was unclear whether they were hostages or militants, a security official said.

Algerian special forces stormed the plant on Saturday to end the four-day siege, moving in to thwart what government officials said was a plot by the Islamist militants to blow up the complex and kill all their hostages with mines sown throughout the site.

The government said after the assault that at least 32 extremists and 23 hostages were killed. Then, on Sunday, Algerian bomb squads sent in to blow up or defuse the explosives found 25 bodies, said the security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.

"These bodies are difficult to identify. They could be the bodies of foreign hostages or Algerians or terrorists," the official said.

In addition, a wounded Romanian who had been evacuated died, raising the overall death toll to at least 81.

"Now, of course, people will ask questions about the Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched a vicious and cowardly attack," British Prime Minister David Cameron said. Three Britons were killed and another three were feared dead.

The dead were also known to include American, Filipino and French workers. Algerian authorities said 685 of their citizens, the backbone of the workforce, escaped without saying how many may have died. More than two dozen foreigners were unaccounted for.

It was unclear whether anyone was rescued in the final assault on the complex, which is run by the Algerian state oil company along with BP and Norway's Statoil.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20130119/ML.Algeria.Kidnapping/

Dead men tell no tales.