The Algeria hostage dram continues as of Friday - first a recap on the drama in Algeria , which is directly related to the incursion by the French in Mali , which is turn was blow back from Libya.....
http://fredw-catharsisours.blogspot.com/2013/01/french-mali-adventures-suffers.html
Now the news of the day.......
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/death-toll-climbs-past-80-203148738.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21101092
The facility is at a remote site in southern Algeria
and......
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/01/18/algeria-hostage-crisis-leaves-us-uk-poised-to-act/
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta insisted the US would work tirelessly to pursue anyone linked to the attack, insisting there is “no justification” and that the US is completely disinterested in the motivation of the attackers. They also confirmed sendingtrainers.
France invaded on Saturday, and initially said they believed they would turn Mali into a “terror-free” democracy within a matter ofweeks. Since then they have expressed surprise at the strength of rebel fighters, however.
http://www.debka.com/article/22695/Al-Qaeda-offers-to-swap-2-US-hostages-for-2-jailed-terrorists
The Obama administration has not released information about the Americans held hostage at the gas field. They are believed to number seven.
http://fredw-catharsisours.blogspot.com/2013/01/french-mali-adventures-suffers.html
Now the news of the day.......
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/death-toll-climbs-past-80-203148738.html
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) -- The death toll from the terrorist siege at a natural gas plant in the Sahara climbed past 80 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 Islamic extremists to blow up the complex and kill all their captives with mines sown throughout the site.
In a statement, the Masked Brigade, the group that claimed to have masterminded the takeover, warned of more such attacks against any country backing France's military intervention in neighboring Mali, where the French are trying to stop an advance by Islamic extremists.
"We stress to our Muslim brothers the necessity to stay away from all the Western companies and complexes for their own safety, and especially the French ones," the statement said.
Algeria said after Saturday's assault by government forces that at least 32 extremists and 23 hostages were killed. On Sunday, Algerian bomb squads sent in to blow up or defuse the explosives found 25 more 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.
On Monday, Philippine Foreign Affairs officials said six Filipinos were among the hostages killed. Spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters that 16 Filipinos have been accounted for and four others are still missing.
The dead hostages were also known to include at least one American and French workers. Nearly two dozen foreigners by some estimates 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.
Two private Algerian TV stations and an online news site said security forces scouring the plant found five militants hiding out and learned that three others had fled. That information could not be immediately confirmed by security officials.
Authorities said the bloody takeover was carried out Wednesday by 32 men from six countries, under the command from afar of the one-eyed Algerian bandit Moktar Belmoktar, founder of the Masked Brigade, based in Mali. The attacking force called itself "Those Who Sign in Blood."
The Masked Brigade said Sunday the attack was payback against Algeria for allowing over-flights of French aircraft headed to Mali and for closing its long border with Mali. In an earlier communication, the Brigade claimed to have carried out the attack in the name of al-Qaida.
Armed with heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, missiles and grenades, the militants singled out foreign workers at the plant, killing some of them on the spot and attaching explosive belts to others.
Algeria's tough and uncompromising response to the crisis was typical of its take-no-prisoners approach in confronting terrorists, favoring military action over negotiation. Algerian military forces, backed by attack helicopters, launched two assaults on the plant, the first one on Thursday.
The militants had "decided to succeed in the operation as planned, to blow up the gas complex and kill all the hostages," Algerian Communications Minister Mohamed Said told state radio.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the terrorists had tried to blow up the plant on Saturday but managed only to start a small fire. "That's when they started to execute hostages, and the special forces intervened," Eide said. Norway's Statoil said five Norwegians were still missing.
An audio recording of Algerian security forces speaking with the head of the kidnappers, Abdel Rahman al-Nigiri, on the second day of the drama indicated the hostage-takers were trying to organize a prisoner swap.
"You see our demands are so easy, so easy if you want to negotiate with us," al-Nigiri said in the recording broadcast by Algerian television. "We want the prisoners you have, the comrades who were arrested and imprisoned 15 years ago. We want 100 of them."
In another phone call, al-Nigiri said that half the militants had been killed by the Algerian army on Thursday and that he was ready to blow up the remaining hostages if security forces attacked again. An organization that monitors videos from radicals posted one showing al-Nigiri with what appeared to be an explosive belt around his waist.
The Algerians' use of forced raised an international outcry from some countries worried about their citizens.
But French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday on French television: "The terrorists ... they're the ones to blame."
David Plouffe, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said that al-Qaida and al-Qaida-affiliated groups remain a threat in North Africa and other parts of the world, and that the U.S. is determined to help other countries destroy those networks.
Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Plouffe said the tragedy in Algeria shows once again "that all across the globe countries are threatened by terrorists who will use civilians to try and advance their twisted and sick agenda."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21101092
Algeria crisis: 'Captors and hostages die in assault'
The facility is at a remote site in southern Algeria
Algerian troops have ended a siege at a gas facility in the Sahara desert killing 11 Islamist militants after they killed seven hostages, Algerian state news agency APS has said.
The hostages were summarily killed as the troops tried to free them, it said.
Foreign workers were among the hostages, but the nationalities of the dead are not known.
UK Defence Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the crisis was over and that lives had been lost.
At a joint news conference with his US counterpart Leon Panetta, Mr Hammond said the loss of life was "appalling and unacceptable and we must be clear that it is the terrorists who bear sole responsibility for it".
Britain was pressing Algeria for further details, he added.
The militants had been involved in a stand-off since Thursday after trying to occupy the remote site.
APS has previously said 12 Algerian and foreign workers have been killed since rescue efforts began.
On Friday, 573 Algerians and about 100 of 132 foreigners working at the plant were freed, Algerian officials said.
About 30 foreigners remain unaccounted for, including fewer than 10 from the UK.
The militants themselves said before the raid that they had been holding seven hostages.
Shortly before reports of the final assault emerged, the leader of the hostage-takers, Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri, said the government had to choose between negotiating with the kidnappers and leaving the hostages to die.
He said the area had been booby-trapped and swore to blow up the complex if the Algerian army used force.
Algerian national oil and gas company Sonatrach said the army was now clearing mines planted by the militants.
'Retaliation'
The crisis at the remote In Amenas desert gas facility began on Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers. A Briton and an Algerian reportedly died in the incident.
The militants then took Algerians and expatriates hostage at the complex. The leader of the hostage-takers is said to be a veteran fighter from Niger, named as Abdul Rahman al-Nigeri by the Mauritanian news agency ANI, which has been in contact with the militants.
The Algerian armed forces attacked on Thursday as militants tried to move some of their captives from the facility.
APS reported before Saturday's raid that a group of militants remained at the site, holed up in a workshop with the remaining hostages and armed with rocket-launchers and machine guns.
The Algerian newspaper El Watan quoted officials as saying that the militants tried to sabotage the gas installation on Friday evening by starting a fire, but that it was quickly extinguished.
"The terrorists were prepared to commit a collective suicide; the army's intervention led to their neutralisation. Unfortunately, the hostages were executed," the newspaper added.
Information from the siege has been hard to come by. No foreign reporters are thought to have been given access to the In Amenas plant.
The In Amenas gas field is situated at Tigantourine, about 40km (25 miles) south-west of the town of In Amenas and 1,300km (800 miles) south-east of Algiers.
The plant is jointly run by BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's state-owned oil company.
A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant was launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighbouring Mali.
- Bus attack: 0500 local time 16 January: Heavily armed gunmen attack two buses carrying gas field workers towards In Amenas airfield. A Briton and an Algerian die in the fighting.
- Hostages taken: The militants drive to the installation at Tigantourine and take Algerian and foreign workers hostage in the living area and the main gas facility at the complex.
- Army surround complex: Security forces and the Algerian army surround the hostage-takers. Western leaders, including the UK's David Cameron, urge Algeria to consult them before taking action.
- Army attacks: 1200 (1300 GMT) 17 January: Algerian forces attack as militants try to move some of their captives from the facility. Reports say some hostages escape, but others are killed.
- Final assault: The Algerians ended the raid on 19 January, killing the last 11 captors after they had killed seven hostages, state media reported.
and......
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/01/18/algeria-hostage-crisis-leaves-us-uk-poised-to-act/
Algeria Hostage Crisis Leaves US, UK Poised to Act
US to Do Anything to Ensure Safety of Hostages, Except Negotiate
by Jason Ditz, January 18, 2013
US and British military officials are talking up the prospect of military action in the face of the Algerian hostage standoff, with Britain reporting that their special forces are on “standby” to intervene and the US vowing revenge.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta insisted the US would work tirelessly to pursue anyone linked to the attack, insisting there is “no justification” and that the US is completely disinterested in the motivation of the attackers. They also confirmed sendingtrainers.
The State Department has also issued a statement insisting that the US is working “around the clock” to ensure the safety of the hostages, and will do anything it takes, as long as that anything involves military action, because they won’t under any circumstances negotiate with the hostage-takers.
It is believed that 12 British hostages remain in the custody of the militants, while the US has insisted it doesn’t have any specific information on how many of its hostages may still be alive after yesterday’s Algerian military attack on them.
and.....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/01/18/france-formally-requests-us-military-aid-for-mali-invasion/
France Formally Requests US Military Aid for Mali Invasion
Joint Chiefs Chair Declares Northern Mali a Threat to the World
by Jason Ditz, January 18, 2013
According to Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, the French government has formally asked the United States for military aid for its invasion of Mali, saying that the aid will conclude planning, logistics and air support, but not combat troops.
France invaded on Saturday, and initially said they believed they would turn Mali into a “terror-free” democracy within a matter ofweeks. Since then they have expressed surprise at the strength of rebel fighters, however.
The Mali invasion was initially scheduled for Autumn by the UN Security Council, and many nations have been reluctant to send anything but token support in the wake of the unexpectedly early French attack.
Though officials have questioned the merits of US involvement, arguing the northern Malian desert poses little threat as it is and could become a magnet for terrorists if the US gets too heavily involved, Dempsey took a completely different view, insisting Mali is already a threat to the region and would soon be a threat to the entire planet, US involvement notwithstanding.
http://www.debka.com/article/22695/Al-Qaeda-offers-to-swap-2-US-hostages-for-2-jailed-terrorists
Al Qaeda offers to swap 2 US hostages for 2 jailed terrorists
DEBKAfile Special Report January 18, 2013, 6:46 PM (GMT+02:00)
Long-sought Algerian terrorist Moktar Belmoktar
The North Afrfican Al Qaeda group which seized hostages from 10 nations at the remote Algerian gas field in In Aminas Wednesday, Jan. 16, has addressed its first demand to the United States: The release of two American hostages for two high-profile Islamist terrorists jailed in the US: Egyptian Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Blind Sheikh convicted of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and Pakistani-American neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, convicted for trying to kill US troops and FBI agents in Afghanistan in 2009.
The offer from Moktar Belmoktar, head of al Qaeda’s Signed-in-Blood Battalions, was relayed by a Mauritanian news site Friday afternoon Jan 18. Until now, their most pressing demand was for France to end its military operation in Mali.
The Obama administration has not released information about the Americans held hostage at the gas field. They are believed to number seven.
Friday afternoon, as Algerian special forces were still unable to overpower the terrorists holed up with hostages at a gas facility, US military transports began lifting foreign nationals out of Algeria. Most are oil and gas facility personnel and their families. Their evacuation, which will badly affect the operation of Algeria’s energy industry, indicates fears that more terrorist attacks on oil and gas sites are still to come, with devastating impact on world energy markets.
Military sources in London reported that a British MI6 secret service plane has landed near the Algerian hostage site carrying a command and control team specializing in terrorist situations.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called the Cobra emergency cabinet into session Friday night, its third since the hostage crisis erupted. Addressing Parliament earlier, Cameron promised the UK would hunt down the terrorists responsible for the brutal and savage attack in Algeria.
British Prime Minister David Cameron called the Cobra emergency cabinet into session Friday night, its third since the hostage crisis erupted. Addressing Parliament earlier, Cameron promised the UK would hunt down the terrorists responsible for the brutal and savage attack in Algeria.
According to the first tentative hostage figures released by Algeria Friday afternoon, the second day of its rescue operation, a total of 650 hostages were taken, of whom 573 were freed – most of them Algerian - indicating that 77 were killed or missing. A total of 132 foreign nationals from 10 nations were taken of whom 66 were freed, which leaves 66 dead or unaccounted for.None of these figures will be final before the gas field is finally cleansed and secure.
DEBKAfile: Al Qaeda’s demand for the Blind Sheikh’s release from an American jail is intended to embarrass Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who has said he would press for this when he visits Washington soon. This now puts Morsi on the same side as al Qaeda.
Bucked up by their success in keeping the Algerian army at bay and dragging out their first multinational hostage crisis into another day, Al Qaeda in North Africa upped the ante by directly confronting the United States in what is unlikely to be their last demand.
Bucked up by their success in keeping the Algerian army at bay and dragging out their first multinational hostage crisis into another day, Al Qaeda in North Africa upped the ante by directly confronting the United States in what is unlikely to be their last demand.
and.......
http://www.juancole.com/2013/01/algerias-botched-hostages.html
Algeria’s Botched Rescue Leaves Dozens of Hostages Dead, Angers West
Posted on 01/18/2013 by Juan
Reuters reports that the Algerian government’s intervention against the hostage crisis at a BP natural gas plant in southern Algeria has left 30 of the hostages dead. British Prime Minister David Cameron seemed visibly upset with the hamfisted Algerian operation, and British foreign ministry officials complained about not having been warned the operation was coming.
The relatively secular-minded Algerian elite brutally crushed Muslim fundamentalist movements of the 1990s, leaving tens of thousands of people dead in a dirty war. This heavy-handed military raid, which inadvertently got over two dozen of the hostages killed, has to be pronounced a failure.
In the no-man’s land of southern Algeria, for a very long time tribes, criminals, smugglers and desert fundamentalists have had free rein. Since the BP gas plant produces 10% of Algeria’s annual export income, you would think Algiers would bother to provide it with some security.
Although the hostage-takers said that their action was in revenge for the French intervention in Mali, the operation had to have been plotted out for much more than a week, and they were just invoking a political cover. In fact, they are a kidnapping operation that makes a lot of money from collecting ransoms on European tourists in southern Algeria.
Meanwhile, Agence France Presse’s excellent profile of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the leader of the group that took the hostages, shows that he was kicked out of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb last fall for his criminal tendencies. The French news agency concludes that he is just a gangster in search of profit, not a committed fundamentalist. Belmokhtar went off to Afghanistan in 1991, the last year of the fight against the Soviet-backed puppet government of Najib. He returned in 1992, when the Algerian civil war was beginning between the secular generals and the Islamic Salvation Front (French acronym FIS). FIS contested elections in 1991 and won parliament, but he alarmed generals closed parliament and sent the MPs home. The subsequent struggle became a brutal civil war that killed perhaps 150,000 Algerians. Belmokhtar joined the Armed Islamic Group, an al-Qaeda affiliate funded in part by Usama Bin Laden from the Sudan. But in recent years Belmokhtar, whatever his youthful commitments, has become little more than a thug.
and tying together Mali , Algeria and the Africom agenda.........
and....
‘Pentagon’s hand behind French intervention in Mali’
and....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2013/jan/18/algeria-hostage-crisis-ongoing-says-foreign-office-live-updates
We're going to wrap up our live blog coverage of the ongoing hostage crisis in Algeria. Here's a summary of where things stand:
• An unknown number of hostages and captors remain at the gas facility outside In Amenas. The number of those killed and wounded since Wednesday also is unknown. The official Algerian news service reported Friday that 12 hostages had been killed in all, but such tolls have fluctuated a lot since the incident was first reported.
• US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US was "deeply concerned about those who remain in danger." A state department spokeswoman said the United States would not negotiate with terrorists. The Associated Press reported that Americans are among the hostages who remain at the site.
• The AP reported that one American was among the dead. The French foreign minister said a French national had also been killed. The British prime minister's office has declined to discuss the number of Britons involved.
• Algerian forces have freed about 100 of the 132 foreigners who were taken hostage in a gas facility in the Algerian desert, a security source told Reuters.
• Western governments said they were in close touch with Algiers. An American transport plane reportedly ferried some American citizens away from the remote site. The nature of any future plans for a military operation at the site – possibly collaborative – is unclear. US defense secretary Leon Panetta said the militants "will have no place to hide."
• Hostages gave accounts of the attack, saying they hid in the facility until the commotion of the Algerian military operation allowed them to escape. Hostages reported "many deaths."
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