E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSUS officials are saying very little about the Algerian military operation to free those taken hostage after militants attacked a gas facility Wednesday morning. NBC's Stephanie Gosk reports.
The fate of dozens of hostages seized by Islamists at a gas field in Algeria remained unclear early Friday, hours after the Algerian military stormed the site.
At least six people, and perhaps many more, were killed, The Associated Press reported, and dozens were unaccounted for.
Algerian state media reported Thursday evening that the military operation had ended at the remote desert facility where dozens of workers — including three Americans — had been held hostage. The Algerian government was reported as saying two Filipinos and two British hostages had been killed.
Accounts of the number of hostages and militants killed in the operation differed wildly — ranging from four to 35 — in reports from regional sources cited by The Associated Press and Reuters.
Among those unaccounted for were Americans, Britons, French, Norwegians, Romanians, Malaysians, Japanese and Algerians.
Some of the hostages reportedly escaped from the natural gas pumping plant, near In Amenas, close to the border with Libya and 800 miles from the Algerian capital.
An unknown number of hostages left the country on a charter flight and were expected to land at London's Gatwick airport near midnight Thursday, according to BP, which operates the gas complex. The plane had not arrived as of 3:15 a.m. Friday.
The Islamist militants stormed the plant and workers' housing before dawn on Wednesday seizing up to 41 hostages in one of the biggest international hostage incidents in decades.
The militants have demanded an end to the French military campaign in Mali where ground troops and air forces of the former colonial power are backing Mali's military in offensive against Islamist rebels linked to al-Qaida in that country.
The group that has claimed responsibility for the gas plant raid is said to be led by an Islamic militant called Mokhtar bel Mokhtar, whose nicknames include "The Uncatchable" and "Mr. Marlboro."
According to the AP, militants with the Masked Brigade, a Mali-based al-Qaida offshoot, provided updates through a Mauritanian news organization that said the Algerians attacked when the militants tried to move hostages from the energy complex. The group claimed that 35 hostages and 15 militants died but seven hostages survived the helicopter attack on its convoy.
An Algerian security official says the decision to send forces came because the militants were being stubborn and wanted to flee with the hostages.
U.S. officials called the hostage situation "murky" and said the United States is working with the Algerian government and other affected nations to try to resolve the situation as quickly and securely as possible.
"It's in a remote area of Algeria, near the Libyan border," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "The security of our Americans who are held hostage is our highest priority, but of course we care deeply about the other Algerian and foreign hostages as well."
Clinton said she could not provide any additional information about the situation.
An Ireland government spokesman said Thursday that an Irish national held at the In Amenas gas plant had "made contact with his family and is understood to be safe and well, and no longer a hostage."
Sky News in London identified the Irish survivor as Stephen McFaul, 46, from west Belfast.
In an interview with the television station, McFaul's father Christopher said he was "delighted" by the news but added he felt "sorry for the other hostages that are still there."
He also described the last 48 hours as "hell".
Stephen McFaul's son, Dylan, also spoke to the Sky reporters: "I can't even explain the excitement. I can't wait until he gets home again," he said, adding that he would tell his father "he's never going back there and I'm not letting him".
A local resident near the plant told Reuters the Algerian military had opened fire and that "many people" were killed.
Twenty hostages of an Algerian militant group with ties to al Qaeda in a standoff with the Algerian Army are reported to have escaped Thursday. Over 41 hostages of several nationalities, including Americans, were being held in a BP gas facility. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
Faycal Metaqui, a journalist at Algerian newspaper El Watan, told French news channel BFM that he was unable to confirm with authorities the earlier reports that some hostages had escaped.
"Sadly, there have been some reports of casualties, but we are still lacking any confirmed or reliable information," said a statement from oil giant BP, which is a joint owner of the plant.
Related content:
In Mali, land of 'gangster-jihadists,' ransoms help fuel the movement
France launches 'tough' ground offensive against Mali's Islamist rebels
Nancy Ing, Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube of NBC News, contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
BLA BLA BLA, if this country really got its act together and starting pushing electric cars, adding plug in stations at parking lots, and places of employment then and only then will we all find out what the people in the middle east can grow in their sand. Until that happens - its still business as usual with the flintstones
But first, supply our own oil which Obama and his sheep can't seem to bring themselves to do. You want the gun advocates to compromise their beliefs for the good of all, why can't environmentalist do the same? Once we are oil independent, then work on other forms of energy.
Domestic oil production is at its highest point in 15 years.
Obama is selling our oil to China.
And he is still buying oil from the middle east.
Is Hillary Clinton sober big day like this ,we don't want her to fall and hit her head again is Obama leading from behind again , does Obama know what's going on , did he read his Intel reports . The day will come that Al queda and the Muslim Brotherhood will be in this country because we have a very weak president , now is not the time to screw with the second amendment . If we turn our guns into plows it will not be long until we will be plowing for someone who didn't .
larry.....the only problems we have in this country are people like you who loves to disagree with anything sensible, its a fine art being a a— —h— — _
im retired military i spent more time defending this country then you arm chair quarterbacks
no hate here.......just love for my fellow man...if you talk to my ex-wife she may agree with the loser part.lol.lol
Remember the Dead Benghazi Four !!
WE Will Never Forget !!
Who cares?? Apparently the Te'o hoax is much bigger news
Just remember libs, dems, honor grads, oblame me throaters:
"Osama is Dead and GM is Alive." We have taken out Al Qeada, they are diminished, and have retreated." At the end of the day, your beloved king/dictator/ruler/community organizer in chief is responsible for yet more blood, although not that he really cares.
The Loss of innocent life is Tragic, but the Algerian Military did the right thing and are not to blame for these deaths.
If all countries consistantly and immidiately went after hostage takers like the algerians did the terrorists would think twice before taking hostages.
Another flower in Obama's Arab Spring !
Obama is finally getting us out of those countries. I could care less who takes over.
You know and then I ask "WHY WHY WHY do we United States" still always help out these flippin a... countries....we are stupid....and then it always happens like this....innocent people get killed and so on and so on. I hope that we can get them out of there and the people will be freed but so sorry for all the casualties there are already....
You are an Isolationist, PD.
Remember how this all started at the World Trade Center ???
They are Coming Here.
They Hate YOU !!
Condolences to the families of those lost.
That said, why are our people in these countries? We have ended up in wars, and fighting terrorists across half the globe, all so a few rich scuzbuckets can cash in with their oil cartels.
There is no reason to be there other than money. And its not money we all share in. But its our kids being packed off to war to defend their money, isnt it.
Obama is thinking... "damn, all I had to do to keep these 'problem' dead people off my agenda was to have someone else screw up... why didn't I think of this before? Hey, how is the Hillarwe excuse training for that congressional hearing coming along? I don't want her messing up, keep her in that room until she memorizes all the answers... and tell her to remember...last line to congress is 'you people are so mean to me...boo hoo... I am a sickly frail little woman... boo hoo'... get it right!"
Gotta love NBCnews......their main headline is about some useless college athlete pretending he has a dead girlfriend....when we actually have DEAD people in Algeria.....but NBC..has to cover Obama's failed A$$.
If Obama stopped hindering American energy production we could produce here instead of dealing with those third world towel heads.
There's enough oil now. The amount of oil imported from the ME is miniscule at this point.
China and Europe are the consumers of that oil - the problem is that the US is still babysitting instead of forcing them to step up and deal with it.
Any minute now Republicans start taking shots at Obam, Administration, Clinton for not defining what is happening properly and security etc..
This is a tragic situation, but there is a tendency Westerners tend to take it easy and think all is dandy in places far away. US envoy was underestimated the danger and went to Benghazi. These workers apparently went there for huge sum of money.
But everyone seems to forget that these places; Algeria, Tunusia, Libya, Egypt and African republics are not your everyday Main Street in US. Some in those places very recently moved from stone age to "20th century", and most quite does not know and understand what it means.
"Freedom fighters"in Libya who killed Qaddafi are partly are just short of being a wild animal, which can bite , attack anyone anytime. .
Just another story that will be buried and then re investigated 20 or so years from now.
Combine international resources to eradicate these international terrorists eternally, everlastingly off the face of the Earth (ASAP)! (Either deliver an unequivocal message, or expect MOTS!) - RC
I've travelled to a lot of worldwide destinations: Europe, Asia, South America. But I'll stay out of the Middle East and Africa entirely.
I don't feel like I've missed anything by not going there.
(I really wish I could lead this war against terrorism. I would totally bring it to an end virtually overnight!) - RC
(Yes, I INDEED know how !!! But unfortunately, the majority of the (terminally) infected) people in our world both long and hope for the (program) "End of our World".)
(You would hear 'fists' hitting the ground around the world virtually overnight; again, and again, and again until it was TOTALLY OVER !!! A reign of terror which would terrorize the terrorists themselves to the absolute, TOTAL living end!) - RC
I wonder how a reenactment of the event will look. I like that they went in so fast, it was bad to have something like this in the news. It hurt what the French are doing in Mali. I would have tried to use snipers to kill the terrorists and use armored vehicles that could withstand the weapons the terrorists had. The armored vehicles could have acted as moving cover for ground troops and shields. I would have had helicopters for the wounded and used fast moving light armor vehicles for troops to be brought in fast. You can’t blame Algeria, it is there country and they can handle it how ever they want.
Excellent post, bewildered0224.
If the environmentalists would compromise and we started producing our own oil, we could begin the transition to independence.
The US is projected to be independent by 2020, and a net EXPORTER by 2035.
Why don't we just build that Pipeline instead ??
Costs a lot less.
Creates jobs.
And Real Cars actually drive long distances.
Besides, China is the greatest producer of all that dirty carbon.
And the earth is dynamic and is going to change and kill us all.
That pipeline is going to help EXPORT oil - most likely to China.
So, what I'm wondering is why the f**k Algeria was the only country to go in and get these people, some of which were apparently Americans, out?
Was Obama too busy signing useless executive orders and high-fiving kids that he just didn't have time to take care of it? Or maybe he didn't even know anything about it in the first place? It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.
That's some real "leadership" right there! Pretty damn lame.
When I woke up this morning (very early) the main story was about WMDs in Syria and that America is sending thousands of chemical suits to Jordan and Turkey.
After I got off work the headlines were about:
T'eo
Milli Vanilli
Lance Armstrong
and a dog driving a van
Nothing about the economy.
8% unemployment is here to stay.
Living on food stamps is the new normal.
Homeless shelters are packed
Food banks are empty.
Leon Panetta gave his little meaningless bland speech and said nothing, and wouldn't answer any questions. The dog driving the van was more newsworthy than Panetta.
PANAETTA WAS RIGHT !!
AL QUADA IS ALIVE AND WELL.
THE TERRORISTS ARE COMING FOR US.
REMEMBER THE BENGHAZI DEAD FOUR.
TERRORISTS
TERRORISTS
TERRORISTS
SAY IT, OBAMA. "TERRORISTS"
"A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME ........ "
I'm in a foul mood tonight ... let's track this Mokhtar bel Mokhtar down and ram a rebar up his keester!
deleted
So, apparently Obama's Ineptitude regarding Islamic Terrorists and Al Qaeda hasn't destroyed the networks of Muslim Terror Groups much after all! Seems like Obama's Fist Pumps at the Convention were a tad PREMATURE? Of course when you invite the Muslim Brotherhood - a LISTED TERRORIST ORGANIZATION - to meetings at the White House, just how Serious can Obama's anti-terror campaign really be. We have the words "Workplace Violence" used for a Domestic Islamic Terrorist massacre and Islamic Terrorist is so not to be used PC language. So WHAT if anything is Obama the Incompetent going to do next? Maybe parade some more children as props? Maybe he can use the Children of the Dead Americans for propaganda purposes!
These Islamics thugs know, based on the incompetent followup investigation by the OBAMA administration following the Benghazi consulate attack ( no arrests made), that there is little chance that they will be caught. Maybe OBAMA can have Hillary set up a meeting over some Chi tea to work something out, providing she doesn't slip and fall again.LOL.
REMEMBER THE DEAD BENGHAZI FOUR !!!
WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
SAY IT OBAMA ....... "TERRORISTS" .....
Obama's advisers are now telling him that it's our fault. We created these Jihadists with our insensitive American policies. All we need to do is stop mistreating them and give them respect.