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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.
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Luck of the Irish.
I have a feeling the number of dead will be as high as the worst reports, or higher. But the Algerians have a policy: no one gets away with hostages. And they stuck to it.
w/expats working at plants like these all over north africa and arabia their policy is a good one, else there would be an epidemic of these kidnappings. The moral of this story is be very careful where you travel and where you work.
We are in a war with Islamic Jihad, and stupid trolls like stevephoenix can only continue their tired anti-Obama rhetoric. Obama is not the enemy, radical Islam is the enemy. Wake up!!
Does this mean Obama was wrong again??
Al Quada is not Dead and gone like he said.
Al Quada is alive and well.
Remember the Benghazi DEAD Four !!
NEVER FORGET THE BENGHAZI DEAD FOUR.
Is Mokhtar Belmokhtar dead? No one seems to know and wouldn't that information be learned by now. I think there will be more hostage attacks coming in Africa and the Middle East like this one. They may do this again to try and stop attacks in countries like Mali. They’ll be smarter next time I’m sure too. I think Israel may be attack soon somehow also.
12 hrs ago there was confusion about how many non-algerian hostages were killed. No clarity yet. Is this because no government will release info to reporters until the families of the dead have all been notified ?
Never Forget ......
While Obama disarms Americans, he is sending Billions in Heavy Duty Military Equipment Aid to the Unstable Middle East !!!
Never forget the DEAD Benghazi Four.
I think we should put Obama in charge of Al Qaida's budget.
Game over.
Here's a solution to the gun control debate that also solves our most pressing foreign policy problem:
We release James Holmes the Aurora, Colo. shooter from pre-trial lockup and commute the seven life sentences being served by Jared Loughner for the mass shootings in Arizona and send them--along with seven other surviving mass and school shooters--to the Algerian desert to shoot it out with al Queda.
It would be like that movie back in the sixties "The Dirty Dozen" only we could call them "The Nut Job Nine".
Can't wait for the movie.
Gotta have diversity so in the movie version there's one female, a complete invention, and as a result of changing history on just a single point--Seung-hui Cho of Virginia Tech is arrested before he can off himself--one Asian mass shooter.
Holmes wants another orange dye job but the Marshals nix that.... I think there'd be a lot of interest in the Gabrielle Giffords part. I see Claire Danes...
I guess it took an act of defense against militant advancements in Mali and the taking of foreign civilian hostages in Algeria in retaliation to make the world take notice of the pending and ongoing critical situations in Africa. While the U.S. focuses all its attention in the Middle East, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, it failed to notice the build up of al-Qaida backed and supported well equipped and determined extreme Islamic militant insurgents into failed states in Northern Africa just like it has failed to focus on the buildup of Cartel criminals filtering into its southern border. Like a slow cancer, terrorism is creeping into unnoticed parts of the world and making strongholds there. Hopefully, the Algerians will be able to secure the release of the remaining hostages without many lives lost.
Hey! Lets not rush to judgment on this. We don't know that this was a terrorist attack. Its possible it was a spontaneous mob action in response to an anti-Islamic video. Nothing to see here folks. Al Queda is on the run and almost non-existent because our "Emperor Hussein" killed Bin-Laden. Don't any of you people listen to our nations Press Secretary or Secretary of State?
Oh and while you were sleeping. Our Emperor has been very busy disarming his citizens and arming the Muslim Brotherhood nation of Egypt. Automatic Defense budget cuts and slaps our only ally Israel in the face. Oh, you didn't know that because you were too busy watching "Dancing with the Stars!"