(1)Aftermath of hostage situation in Algeria; at least 37 hostages, 29 terrorists killed
The Guardian features an Algerian news report showing the aftermath of the recent hostage situation at the Amenas gas field in eastern Algeria. Algerian special forces stormed the facility after deeming the demands of al Qaeda-affiliated militants "unreasonable, according to the [Algerian] prime minister," as reported by CNN. At least 37 hostages were killed and five are missing; at least 29 terrorists were killed, and three were captured.
See additional Long War Journal coverage:
Belmokhtar claims Algerian raid, slaying of hostages for al Qaeda
Nigerien jihadist identified as commander of Algerian hostage operation
Report: Al Qaeda group demands release of 2 well-known jihadists
Al Qaeda-linked group claims credit for kidnappings in Algeria
READER COMMENTS: "Aftermath of hostage situation in Algeria; at least 37 hostages, 29 terrorists killed"
Posted by James at January 27, 2013 5:04 PM ET:
Bill, IMHO, these thugs were hell-bent on dying from the moment they entered that facility. Like the 9/11 hijackings, the hostage-taking may well have been mere window-dressing.
Ideally, their ultimate goal most likely was to kill themselves, kill ALL the hostages AND to destroy that whole facility; much like what they did when they destroyed the WTC on 9/11.
We need to work in unison with governments like Algeria to eradicate this plague. They may not have stellar human rights records but we can and should multitask this thing. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
While we are working with the Algerian government we can encourage them to be more receptive to basic human rights issues.