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Subscribe to RSSMilitants who attacked a natural gas facility in eastern Algeria took as many as 40 people hostage, including three Americans as retaliation for France's intervention in neighboring Mali. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.
Three Americans were among dozens of foreign nationals kidnapped by heavily armed militants who attacked a gas field in Algeria on Wednesday, U.S. officials said.
A militant group claimed the raid was launched in retaliation for France's military intervention in neighboring Mali, Reuters reported, citing local media.
The hostage situation, described as a "terrorist attack" by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, was unfolding at a gas operation at In Amenas — a joint venture including oil giant BP, the Norwegian oil firm Statoil and the Algerian state company Sonatrach.
BP said in a statement that the site was "attacked and occupied by a group of unidentified armed people."
Reuters said that according to regional media reports, the raiders killed three people, including a Briton and a French national, but there was no way to confirm the account. Reuters did not report the citizenship of the third person.
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates across borders in the Sahara desert, claimed it had captured the workers in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali, Reuters reported, citing regional news agencies.
France has been using Algeria's air space for attacks against al-Qaida linked militants in Mali since last week.
Western government officials had not yet linked Wednesday's attack to the conflict in Algeria's southern neighbor. Algeria and neighboring Mali are former colonies of France.
"The Algerian authorities will not respond to the demands of the terrorists and will not negotiate,'' Interior Minister Daho Ould Kablia was quoted as saying by Algeria's official APS news agency.
One of the kidnappers, reportedly contacted by Mauritania's news agency ANI, warned that any attempt to free the hostages would come to a "tragic end." The militants had placed mines around the site of the kidnapping, according to that unconfirmed report.
The U.S. government is in contact with Algerian authorities, the British Embassy in Algiers, BP's security office in London and the Diplomatic Security office in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a briefing on Wednesday.
French President Francois Hollande said he was also in contact with Algiers and other governments about the attack.
A picture of who was being held hostage — with various reports that the total number was 41 — remains incomplete, but citizens of at least six countries are in the group.
There are three Americans in the group, a senior U.S. official told NBC. An earlier report had put the number at seven.
The State Department’s Nuland confirmed that Americans were among the hostages, but she would not release names, numbers and other details "in order to protect their safety."
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference that 13 Norwegian citizens were among the hostages. Three Algerian Statoil employees and one Canadian were in the hostage group, the company said. Statoil is a minority shareholder in the venture.
One Irish national was abducted, an Irish government official said, and British Prime Minister David Cameron said "several" British citizens were among the hostages.
A spokesman for the Japanese government said it had set up a task force to investigate reports of Japanese hostages.
A reporter for Japan's NHK television managed to call a Japanese worker in Algeria, Reuters reported. The worker said he got a phone call from a colleague at the gas field.
"It was around 6 a.m. this morning. He said that he had been hearing gunshots for about 20 minutes," the worker said. "I wasn't able to get through to him since."
The U.S. government issued an emergency message to Americans in the country through the embassy in Algiers, warning them to avoid large gatherings, protests or demonstrations.
"U.S. citizens should review their personal security plans, remain aware of their surroundings, including local events, and monitor local news stations for updates," it read, in part. "Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security and follow instructions of local authorities.
The Amenas gas field is about 800 miles southeast of Algiers and about 35 miles west of the Libyan border.
Oil major BP said it believed the operation had been shut down after the attack, which took place at about 5 a.m. local time. The company said the field had been producing about 160,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day — more than 10 percent of the country's overall gas output, Reuters reported.
Related content:
France launches tough ground offensive against Mali's Islamist rebels
Jim Miklaszewski, Courtney Kube, Ian Johnston, Arata Yamamoto and Alastair Jamieson of NBC News, and Reuters, contributed to this report.
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That's why they are paid BIG bucks for working in dicey environments. They knew the risk. It is a simple equation of risk vs. reward. Hope they are released unharmed but it is not a situation where the U.S. should get involved other than diplomatically.
Not a situation for the U.s. to get involved with and they kidnaped THREE americans and are holding them??..Are we just supposed to say oh well..Too friggin bad boys, you know the risk, you go outside the U.s. you're on your own..What would YOU consider a situation that is WORTHY of us getting involved in?
Would attacking American citizens on American soil be an offence that we should be involved in other than diplomatically in your opnion?
Creek Dog, they had to attack some unarmed workers because they were tired of killing and throwing acid on little unarmed girls.
lets see we invaded 4 Countries Nam,Iraq,Spmalia,afganistan we lost EVERYONE
OF THEM.. We also lost close to two Trillion of $.. it seems WE NEVER,EVER Leanrn
we now have Alqueqa just took over 5 countries due to OUR GREAT HELP TO THEM
AND WE OWE China billions and billions..SAD DAYS ahead for America
And war on I ran is in the work.. even though it will be just like iraq,
TOTAL WASTE OF $and lives..we have the Zionist APAC pressure to
thank for ANOTHER Bloody war.
We created chaos when waged war on Iraq.. we left Iraq in a TOTAL MESS
WERE Doing again in Afganistan like we did in Veitnam AND Somalia
were like the ALCOHOHLIC who is in denial.we have the neocons
to thank for those BLOOD Wars. we never learn
Yeah, we'd be better off to bend over and bury our heads in the sand and let the rest of the world ram one up our A$$
So are we going to war with Mali and other countries in Africa? I can see how we could send people to help save these hostages and I agree to do that. I want to see us fighting these rebels too, that are getting help from al-Qaeda. I wanted to see us go to Yemen but we have only help their troops there. I agree to more actions against al-Qaeda and these people are seen as them by me.
James..I thought Al-Qaeta was eraticated?..Didn't the president state that they were no longer a threat?
I wonder if Holden gave Algerians those assault rifles as part of a sting operation.
Why are IMPERIALISTS present everywehre there are resources?
We have no choice but to act. This could go on for 25 years, the norm for any extremist. We therefore best have a 25 yr commitment and plan. You cannot ignore the issue and say America is tired. It is no different than a football game. You must play all four quarters. Here you must stay engaged in the process. And we will. Like VietNam, where the French failed, we will pick up the torch, one more time.
Get ready for US ramp up of military force in Africa way beyond a few deployed sections of an ID and the spec ops groups.
Here we go agan withe the al-qaida going after people from the U.S. and abroad when our knot head president keep on acting like the al-quaida is all washed up and dead. They will continue to grow until we get a president that will go after the al-quaida and eliminate them.
The only way to defeat terrorist is with terror. We currently do not have the courage to go that route. When your more worried about collateral damage than winning a war. Your going to loose that war every time. War is hell.
Terrorism is a form of warfare. It can be beat, but you gotta be willing to wage war. War is bloody, smelly, dirty, nasty stuff. The question will be how many innocent people will die while we keep trying to fight with both hands behind our back?
As long as the PC mentality is pervasive we won't be able to win this fight against terrorist.
If one hair is hurt on any of the civilized folks the Islamic vermin took against their will, then there should be a scorched earth policy against all in the north part of Mali. If it moves shoot it. Sooner or later the Muslims will start to cooperate. They don't understand "negotiations" only strict behavioral control. If you get involved in anything PC they win.
Now that Obama is done playing politics with the Guns; perhaps he can do his job and rescue the american hostages ?!?
But Obama said in the debates in October that "Al-Qaeda is on the run". All the while hiding the fact that the Benghazi attacks were carried out by Al-Qaeda.
Now these attacks by Al-Qaeda.
Think the only way to solve this problem with Islamist and al-Qaeda is to just kill them all. No more talking or negotiations, send in ground troops or use the nuke with one simple rule, destroy them. An army is designed and trained to kill, let them loose to do their job.
"Like VietNam, where the French failed" --- And the US failed likewise and had to run with tails between its legs, like a frightened dog.
I Obama and the State Department going to watch these Americans die too? Or will Obama use this as an excuse to release the Blind Sheik?