View
218
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
7/29/2019 Algeria hostage crisis ends in bloodbath
1/3
Algeriahostagecrisisendsinbloodbath
ALGERIANtroopshavestormedaremotegasplanttoendahostagecrisisthatkilled23foreignersandAlgerians,sevenofthemexecutedbytheirIslamistcaptorsinafinalmilitaryassault.
Twenty-onehostagesdiedduringthesiegethatbeganwhentheal-Qa'ida-linkedgunmenattackedtheInAmenasfacilitydeepintheSaharadesertatdawnonWednesday,theinteriorministrysaid.
Thirty-twokidnapperswerealsokilled,andspecialforceswereabletofree"685Algerianworkersand107foreigners",itsaid.
Amongthedeadwereanunknownnumberofforeigners--includingfromBritain,France,RomaniaandtheUS--andmanywerestillunaccountedfor,includingJapanese.
ThekidnappersledbyAlgerianMokhtarBelmokhtar,aformeral-Qa'idacommanderinNorthAfrica,killedtwopeopleonabus,aBritonandanAlgerian,beforetakinghundredsofworkershostagewhentheyoverranthegasplant.DigitalPass$1forfirst28Days
Startofsidebar.Skiptoendofsidebar.
RecommendedCoverageBPAlgeriahostagesIslamistsReliefforlocalsashostagecrisisoverAmateurvideoshowsaftermathofconvoyattackinAlgeriaAlgeriahostagecrisisendsinbloodshed
Endofsidebar.Returntostartofsidebar.
Belmokhtar's"SignatoriesinBlood"grouphadbeendemandinganendtoFrenchmilitaryinterventionagainstjihadistsinneighbouringMali.
InSaturday'sassault,"theAlgerianarmytookout11terrorists,andtheterroristgroupkilledsevenforeignhostages",statetelevisionsaid,withoutgiving
abreakdownoftheirnationalities.
AsecurityofficialwhospoketoAFPasarmyhelicoptersoverflewtheplantgavethesamedeathtolls,addingitwasbelievedtheforeignerswereexecuted"inretaliation".
AsexpertsbegantoclearthecomplexofbombsplantedbytheIslamists,residentsofInAmenasbreathedacollectivesighofrelief.
"Wewentfromapeacefulsituationtoaterrorsituation,"saidoneresidentwhogavehisnameasFouad.
"Theplantcouldhaveexplodedandtakenoutthetown,"saidanother.
BrahimZaghdaouisaidhewasnotsurprisedbytheAlgerianarmy'sruthlessfinalassault.
"Itwaspredictablethatitwouldendlikethat,"hesaidstandingoutsidethetown'shospital,wherecoffinswereseenarrivinginthemorning.
MostofthehostageshadbeenfreedonThursdaywhenAlgerianforceslaunchedarescueoperation,whichwaswidelycondemnedashasty.
7/29/2019 Algeria hostage crisis ends in bloodbath
2/3
ButFrenchPresidentFrancoisHollandeandUSDefenceSecretaryLeonPanettarefusedtoblameAlgeria.
TheresponsebyAlgierswas"themostappropriate"givenitwasdealingwith"coldlydeterminedterroristsreadytokilltheirhostages",saidMrHollande.
MrPanettaadded:"Theyareintheregion,theyunderstandthethreatfromterrorism...Ithinkit'simportantthatwecontinuetoworkwith(Algiers)todeveloparegionalapproach."
BritishDefenceSecretaryPhilipHammondsaidthecrisishadbeen"broughttoanendbyafurtherassaultbyAlgerianforces,whichhasresultedinfurtherlossoflife".
Thedeathswere"appallingandunacceptableandwemustbeclearthatitistheterroristswhobearsoleresponsibilityforit",hesaid.
Thehostage-takingwasthelargestsincethe2008Mumbaiattack,andthebiggestbyjihadistssincehundredswerekilledinaMoscowtheatrein2002andataschoolintheRussiantownofBeslanin2004,accordingtomonitoringgroupIntelCenter.
ForeignSecretaryWilliamHaguesaidatotalofsixBritishnationalsandoneresidentofBritainwereeitherdeadorunaccountedfor.
PrimeMinisterShinzoAbeofJapansaidhehadreceived"severeinformation"about10ofhiscountry'snationalswhowerestillmissing.
ThegunmensaidonFridaythattheywerestillholding"sevenforeignhostages"--threeBelgians,twoAmericans,oneJapaneseandaBriton.
However,Brusselssaidithadnoindicationanyofitsnationalswerebeingheld.
AlgeriawasstronglycriticisedforlaunchingThursday'sassault,whichthekidnapperssaidhadleftdead34ofthehostagesand15oftheirownfighters.
BelmokhtaralsowantedtoexchangeAmericanhostagesfortheblindEgyptiansheikhOmarAbdulRahmanandPakistaniAafiaSiddiqui,jailedintheUSonchargesofterroristlinks.
AtleastoneAmericanhadalreadybeenconfirmeddeadbeforeSaturday'sassault.
ButtheStateDepartmentsaid"theUnitedStatesdoesnotnegotiatewithterrorists".
France,whichsaidonSaturdaythat2000ofthe2500troopsithadpledgedwerenowonthegroundinMali,saidthatnomoreofitscitizenswerebeingheld.
MrHollandesaidFrenchtroopswouldstayinMaliaslongasisneeded"todefea
tterrorism"intheWestAfricancountryanditsneighbours.
AlgeriannewsagencyAPSquotedagovernmentofficialassayingthekidnappers,whoclaimedtohavecomefromNiger,werearmedwithmachineguns,assaultrifles,rocketlaunchersandmissiles.
ThiswasconfirmedbyanAlgeriandriver,IbaElHaza,whosaidthehostage-takersspokeindifferentArabicdialectsandperhapsalsoinEnglish.
"FromtheiraccentsIunderstoodonewasEgyptian,oneTunisian,anotherAlgeria
7/29/2019 Algeria hostage crisis ends in bloodbath
3/3
nandonewasspeakingEnglishor(another)foreignlanguage,"MrHazasaidafterescapingonThursday.
"Theterroristssaid:'Youhavenothingtodowiththis,youareAlgeriansandMuslims.Wewon'tkeepyou,weonlywanttheforeigners."'
AFP
Recommended