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Subscribe to RSSAfter the death of Western workers in an attack on a gas plant in the Sahara, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta vows to hunt down the militants responsible. NBC News' Annabel Roberts reports.
Twenty-three hostages and 32 militants were killed in the attack on a natural gas plant deep in the Sahara, the Algerian interior ministry said on Saturday, according to news services.
The official also said 107 foreign hostages and 685 Algerian hostages had been released, several news outlets reported.
Earlier, British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond said, speaking on information received by the British government, that the hostage crisis had "been brought to an end."
The militants took over the In Amenas plant on Wednesday, but Algeria's military launched a rescue attempt on Thursday.
The Algerian Press Service reported that a during a final attack by Algeria's military, the militants killed seven hostages, whose nationalities were not revealed. All of the remaining militants were reported killed.
At a joint press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Hammond described the loss of life as "appalling and unacceptable."
"We remain in close contact with the Algerian government," Hammond said. "We remain determined to defeat terrorism and stand with the Algerian government."
Hammond said that the latest Algerian military operation had resulted in further loss of life. "We are pressing the Algerians for details on the exact situation and the numbers that have been killed and, if any, the numbers rescued," he said.
The Associated Press reported that around 100 of the 135 foreign workers on the site had been freed by Friday. The U.S. government confirmed Friday that one of the dead hostages was Frederick Buttaccio from Texas.
The militants claimed Friday that they were holding two American hostages and would exchange them for two people being held in the United States — the blind sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, convicted in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and Aafie Siddiqque, a 40-year-old Pakistani neuroscientist and mother of three, who was convicted of attacking U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
That would appear to account for all five Americans thought to have been at the plant, one U.S. official said, if the militants are telling the truth.
In a statement Saturday, President Barack Obama said: "The blame for this tragedy rests with the terrorists who carried it out ... This attack is another reminder of the threat posed by al Qaeda and other violent extremist groups in North Africa."
In a news release Saturday, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he feared for the lives of five British citizens who remained unaccounted for, Reuters reported.
Anis Belghoul / AP
Two British hostages -- Peter, left, and Alan, right (no family name available) -- are seen after being released, in a street near the gas plant where they were kidnapped by Islamic militants.
"One British citizen has already been killed in this brutal attack and we now fear the worst for the lives of five others who are not yet accounted for," Cameron said, according to Reuters.
British Petroleum said Saturday that four of its employees were among the hostages who remain missing.
In a conference call with reporters, Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said 14 of the 18 BP employees who were working at the site are “safe and secure” but four remain missing. Dudley said at this time he could not reveal the identities or nationalities of any of the employees. Dudley said the situation remains “very fluid and complex.”
Based on information from those hostages freed, Dudley said they suffered a “terrible and agonizing ordeal” and the situation inside the facility was “horrific.” Before “pre-judging” the actions taken by Algerian security Dudley said “we need he entire picture.”
The In Amenas plant, in a remote part of the Sahara Desert in eastern Algeria close to the Libyan border, is jointly run by BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's state-owned oil company.
The hostage standoff in Algeria is proving frustrating as both media and governments struggle for information. The Washington Post's Joby Warrick discusses the situation with MSNBC's Alex Witt.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related content:
- 1 American killed, 2 escape in Algeria hostage crisis, US officials say; militants seek to trade 2 others for blind sheik
- Details emerge in militant takeover, rescue operation at Algeria gas field
Leave a Comment:
Is this the result of good guys with guns, shooting it out with bad guys with guns?
Are you advocating that the US Military give up their guns.
Statements like your are simply idiotic.
These are the same terrorist who slit the throats of many captives on camera for all of us to see. And in the west there was much horror at the sight of a hostage beheaded like a goat. The Algerian government did the right thing in nipping this situation in the bud because they had no other choice in attacking these thugs outright in order to send a clear message: That they will not be held hostage to terrorists vain threats. The first world has given these outlaws the power to blackmail us because we are not willing to suffer any casualties, given that this is a war, and collateral damage is a guaranteed by-product. Israel solved this problem by regarding hostage citizens as members of the armed forces and thus probable casualties. The terrorist will stop at nothing and neither should we.
To all the obamanoids fearlessly defending the great leader....PS... It is his reponsibility that Americans died in this incendent...
Hey "savygator", stop the bull@!$%# talk about who's fault it is and if you feel so bad, get your @!$%# together, guns, weapons and all, get on a flight and do something instead of rattling on the internet, then you will have a right to judge.
The right wing crazies think that Obama came here from the planet Krypton and controls everything to goes on in the world.
That's right we sane people know that Obama is powerless,that's why Bush is still calling the shots.
Someone needs to hunt down Panneta and slap him in the head. To think that America has the right to hunt these killers down where ever they may be is the same as declare war on yet another country. If you work out of country do not expect the American people to pay for your rescue.
Someone needs to hunt you down and slap you in the frikkin face. You want to fight the terrorists abroad or at home? Your choice retard.
It goes to show you...Cro Magnon man still exist in the middle east. No evolution there. As long as these thugs crawl around like little insects trying to bite everything in its path, there will ALWAYS be unrest in that part of the world! Every time you tune into the news you ALWAYS here of sick, demented taliban crap or terrorist acting like pathetic pieces of feces. End of story.
Neanderthals not only exist in the deep south but are a majority of the population.
" The Blame for this tragedy rests with the Terrorists" Said Obama.
Why is it then that the Blame for Sandy Hook Seems to rest with All gun owners and not the one who actually perpetrated the crime?
Please show where "all gun owners" have been blamed for Sandy Hook...or did you make that up?
Then why did NY just pass a law that makes anyone possesing a firearm with a magazine capacity of more than 7 rounds a criminal, Basically if you live in NY and you have a gun that holds more than 7 rounds of ammunition and if you do not get rid of that gun you will be a criminal, So basically you are being blamed for Sandy Hook by the simple association of possesion. Basically pretty much any semiauto pistol will make you a criminal, Millions of owners of 22 caliber target rifles will be criminals, Millions of owners of any firearm that is a semiautomatic will be criminals. Yes virtually all gun owners are being blamed for sandy Hook.
The left wing media for the past two days focused on Lance Armstrong and that Notre Dame linebacker AD NAUSEUM but put this world news event on the BACK BURNER??
No wonder Barry got elected....again.
What are you babbling about?
The truth,which according to you is babble, again no wonder that obama got elected... again.
A swift end to a bad situation, Algeria did their best.
When Americans choose to work in these highly volatile places they take on the responsibility of keeping themselves safe from terrorists. They want the high pay for being there and somehow think the US will keep them safe. It doesn’t happen that way. The big money is because there is big risk.
I feel for the families of the hostages, but absolutely, they chose big bucks for big risk.
To all of you
regressivistCONservatives denigrating President Obama for this, try this. Blaming this death on Barack Obama for the death on foreign soil is significantly trite compared to blaming GWB for 9/11. I, somehow, don't ever see that happening, since he's white.The way you try phrase that suggests that we should only blame the white half of our current president,sooo that means your a half racist.
Algeria needs a ban of "assault weapons".
The world needs a ban on terrorists and mentally unstable people.
Until that happens I think I will just keep my guns.
1.5 Billion in aid, 24 F-16's and 200 M1 tanks to Egypts "Muslim Brotherhood" run government. Mohemed Morsi has stated the same demands of the terrorists. The release from U.S. prison of the Blind Shiek Rahman. #1 Al-Queida terrorist Al-Alzawarhiri got his start in the Muslim Brotherhood. The U.S. is in bed with these cockroaches so don't believe our drone attacks or afganistan mission is worth a dime on the war on terrorism. Get serious or get out. Thats my 2 cents.
The Bible says,violence begets violence,and wars are violence,so wars beget wars,so wars don't end wars they just lead to more wars.
Religion of peace strikes again! Political Correctness caused these deaths. We are at war with islam and until all of the governments of the world admit that as a fact there will be no peace. We should declare islam a terrorist organization and wipe it off the map. Burn all of the qurans and outlaw islam.
"The release from U.S. prison of the Blind Shiek Rahman. #1 Al-Queida terrorist Al-Alzawarhiri got his start in the Muslim Brotherhood."
If the US had any balls, these guys would have been executed and could not be used as a bargaining chip.
well at least they didn't handle it like Benghazi was handled.
Well now thy're in for it. Bloombird and O'Blamo are going after not only assault rifles but big soda's too. In such an arid climate they'll soon be begging for even a 12oz bottled water. All because of some movie...unbelievable! Not that the facts are unbelievable since Hillary is on the job...and besides we have to trust someone for the facts...perhaps we need to talk to the terrorists...did any of them survive? Hmmm...usually not? I'll betcha they consider themselves patriots instead of terrorists...like many citizens on government "lists" in this country nowdays...
oops
There were hostages of other nationalities, so they should have consulted other governments before they made their actions. 23 hostages dead and they can't bring back the lives lost.