Announcements

**Tomasz** · #1 17 Jan 2013

BBC:
Algeria siege: Military operation under way
An Algerian military operation is under way at a gas facility in eastern Algeria where hostages are being held, the British Foreign Office says.
Algerian soldiers had been surrounding the facility near In Amenas that kidnappers occupied on Wednesday, after killing a Briton and an Algerian.
A local resident told Reuters news agency that a number of people had been killed in the operation.
Reports quoting militants said at least 34 hostages and 14 kidnappers died.
There was no official confirmation of any deaths.

BBC News - Algeria siege: Military operation under way

**Tomasz** · #2 17 Jan 2013

Interesting Q&A backgrounder and live coverage on the In Amenas crisis. I believe BBC will update the information as the situation develops and (hopefully) comes to the happy end.

BBC News - Q&A: Hostage crisis in Algeria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21063558

**priffe** · #3 18 Jan 2013

Although it is too early to say, and we don't know yet what happened and is still happening, but personally I think the algerian hard-hitting approach with no negotiations whatsoever in this case lead to a dismal failure for Belmohktar.
They tried to make a getaway with hostages in five vehicles but were promptly dealt with.

No hostages means no ransoms, only a loss of thirty men, a number of vehicles and arms.
If he has a couple hundred men working with him, that should be a significant loss for MBM.

That is the only way the kidnappings can come to a halt - no rewards in sight.

Also, no propaganda victory - no hostages to put on videos for months or years to come, and no human shields to be used for blackmail or to prevent attacks.
The attack only galvanized the anti-jihadist forces and made it even more evident that this problem will have to be dealt with now.

**uk_vette** · #4 18 Jan 2013

Unfortunate for the hostages, but I feel that the time for paying ransoms, and allowing the hostages to be decapitated on video, has to be brought to an end.

It is sad, if all the hostages have lost their lives, however, so have the kidnappers also lost their lives.

I don't know what the turning point would be, but I hope the kidnappers do begin to realise that, there could be a hard hitting end to the capture of hostages, which may also end in the death of them selves.

Hope the kidnappers rot in hell, and the 70 virgins awaiting,,, is all bull shit.

vette

**priffe** · #5 18 Jan 2013

I think MBM is a numbers guy, he will start calculating and when the figures for kidnappings are firmly in the red, he will look for other ways to generate dirty money.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/midd...79240893bf5200

If it is true that 650 hostages were freed, and 573 of them were algerians, that would mean that 77 foreigners have been liberated, and the Algerians will claim this operation as a success.
The plants security manager was a Frenchman, Yann Desjeux, and he is among those taken hostage.
And the British private security concern Stirling Group was protecting the site.