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:
Islam breeds crazy people.
I am impressed that the French did anything....WOW...After the French entered the bombed out facilty they found 15 "good" Islamist militants.
I don't think that helicopter strafing should be the preferred raid type in an area full of hostages. What idiots.
These are muslims.... I would announce to the world..... hey, you take us hostage, or kill any American, you will lose Mecca, and then turn Mecca into a parking lot... If they start any more @!$%# after that, then start nuking their cities one after another until they stop... no more American lives lost, and lets go right to the problem at hand..... eliminate the muslims.
Muslims are such a peaceful people! Yea, right
It's not exactly accurate, what the liberal media/government complex told us during the campaign. Barrack Hussein Obama did not save the world from terrorists, even after Obama attacked Osama. Now, let's examine closer the Obama claim that "things are actually getting better on the Mexican border". Would anyone from MSNBC care to explain why you didn't bother to examine that assertion also, and why you haven't delved into what the citizens of Arizona are going through as they deal with violent, drug smuggling illegal Mexicans?
They won't, spineless libs.
things are getting better on the border because the smugglers are going around the border and up the Coast. The problem here the Wackos that think Canada has their back. Why don't they report on that?
The situation on the border is getting better because of high unemployment in the U.S. There aren't that many jobs, they don't pay that well, & employees tend to be treated better in Mexico.
Ha ha... let alone a president that sells guns to the mexican drug cartels that caused over70 deaths, and an American border guard... The media sure dont say nothing about that "gun control"..... So why not?
Remember the DEAD Benghazi FOUR !!
15 terrorist to 34 hostiges killed. What a scattered brian idea this plan was. By the way France released its hold on Algeres a long time ago. I have never seen so many people still in the dark on what has been going on in the world. I can understand long ago history being a wash with people but modern day history that has happened in your life time is a bust on you.
WAIT.....WAIT I thought the war on terror was over. Al-Qaida has been defeated......
I am sick of these @!$%#s - when has an american taken another country's peole hostage that is working in the states? f@#$ them - nuke em!
On 09/12/01, the government wouldn't even let the FBI interview the Bin Ladens.
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$$.
Lib media would rather kiss O's *ss.
Sometimes i wonder just how long people will put up with this State Controlled Media in the tank for obama, telling all its lies, eciting video tapes to fit their agenda, and then having the nerve to call it news... what a joke
Don't worry Americas first Pharoh will take care of everything, right after he takes away all your guns.
It's the wealthy conservative who'll take away your guns. It's bad enough they have to buy kidnap insurance, they're not about to let you shoot up their schools.
Are you saying Obama's a wealthy conservative?
musician... wealthy Conservatives... taking away guns??? what are you smoking???? you are one of the low informed voters ... WHO ARE THESE CONSERVATIVES THAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT??
For your own benefit, please stop babbling nonsense about the Middle East. Algeria & Mali aren't in the Middle East, they're in North Africa.
Your ignorance of basic geography calls the validity of your opinions into question.
Stick to playing music, we know what he meant.
Actually, over the past 80 years.... Its ok Musician, a little knowledge can make everybody look silly some times.
Uh, what who meant? I was referring to all of the folks who're making our schools look like day concentration camps for people too young to get jobs, & too old to be cute.
Hey, wait a minute....
Whew, Obama Hillsarwe wont have to get involved with their sack of cash and apology in this one. Can just move on to other problems and coverups. These dead "problems" have been forgotten already.
They needed to send our special forces in to clean up this mess it wouldn't have ended like this.
Time to kill this F**K!!!
Just another example of muslims around the world that are involved in almost every war going on right now... It is time for this country to announce.... you attack Americans in any way... you lose Mecca, and then nuke the pig sty right frigging now.... I am sick and tired of Muslims involved in all these beheadings, killings, chilcren, women... just start nuking their biggist cities in retaliation until we get rid of them
And then we have a president that sends soficated weapons to the Muslim Brotherhood... which is not our friend..... He needs to go too, because he is the biggest part of the problem with muslim today, as they know that he is one of them
The almighty O will never war agains't his people.
ya baby launch those nukes and level the whole area those a$$ holes need to pay
Obama now calling for strict gun control for muslim extremists........
Ya that's how screwed up we are disarm American citizens and allow these towel heads to keep shooting our people
That's the problem, Tired.
Obama is disarming his own People while he is sending Tons of Military Weapons to the Unstable Middle East !!!!
Another top of the line, first class MS/NBC article that is "MURKY"
And republicans in Congress are working diligently behind the scenes to figure out how they can blame the President for this.
Radical Islamic Cultist's are merely the "wolves" of our world. They will cull the weak and eat the diseased. No amount political pressure will have any effect on their religious fervor. Like all predators that seek out easy prey, the only solution is containment, management and the euthanizing of problem individuals.
I wonder where a good start would be?
Imams
Kudos to the Algerian gov't for handling this correctly. Terrorits should NEVER be negotiated with, just killed as quickly as possible, regardless of the risks. At least they understand this.
Handle it correctly??? you dumb $hit they killed the hostages
You dumb $hit, yes - handled correctly! As I said, regardless of the risks. People who do this need to know they are going to die, very quickly.
hey,binladen wanna bees,does seal team 6 ring a bell you morons
Right, lulina.
The Middle East is shaking in their boots as you can see.
Obama has them Terrified.
In fact, like Obama said, he's wiped out Al quada !!!
Obama is a Bad Joke.
Let them know, when they are caught, they will be buried in the stomach of a pig! No 20 virgins and a life of luxury in the afterlife.
hey, binladen wanna bees does seal team 6 ring a bell,you bunch of morons
How tragic. I truly wish each hostage had an AR15 with thirty round magazines to protect themselves before they were confronted by terrorists. The same kind of terrorists that do their deeds here in the states as well. Things might've turned out differently for them.
Not gonna happen. Obama is working hard to take away their Second Amendment rights. We've all got to be helpless victims!
Don't ever forget ....
that while Obama disarms Americans, he is sending Billions in Heavy Duty Military Equipment Aid to Egypt and others in the Unstable Middle East.
The only logical thing to do is to kill all the jihadists, stuff their carcasses with rancid bacon and let them rot in the sun. Oh wait! - that's what most of us want to do with the tax crazy socialist bastard democrats.
You forgot they need to piss on them to