7/29/2019 Algeria hostage crisis ends in bloodbath

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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

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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.

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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

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nandonewasspeakingEnglishor(another)foreignlanguage,"MrHazasaidafterescapingonThursday.

"Theterroristssaid:'Youhavenothingtodowiththis,youareAlgeriansandMuslims.Wewon'tkeepyou,weonlywanttheforeigners."'

AFP