Posted on 01/16/2013 2:35:58 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
In Amenas is operated by the Algerian company Sonatrach with BP and Statoil
Islamist militants have attacked and occupied a gas facility in Algeria, killing a Briton and an Algerian and taking foreign workers hostage.
Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila said troops had surrounded the living quarters at In Amenas, where some 20 people were being held.
Norwegian, French, British, US and Japanese citizens are among them.
Mr Ould Kabila said the militants wanted to leave Algeria with the hostages, which he would not allow.
Earlier, the AFP news agency quoted one worker as saying the militants had demanded the release of 100 Islamist prisoners. Another report said they wanted France to end its military operation in Mali.
End Quote Espen Barth Eide Norwegian Foreign MinisterWe've asked the Algerian authorities to put the life and health of the hostages above all”
Dozens of Algerian workers were meanwhile said to have been released.
The In Amenas gas field is operated by the Algerian state oil company, Sonatrach, along with the British oil company BP and Norway's Statoil.
It is situated about 1,300km (800 miles) south-east of the capital, Algiers, and about 60km (37 miles) west of the Libyan border.'Very dangerous situation'
At a news conference on Wednesday evening, Mr Kabila said a heavily armed "terrorist group" using three vehicles had attacked a bus carrying workers from In Amenas at about 05:00 (04:00 GMT).
The attackers was repelled by police who had been escorting the bus, but a Briton and an Algerian national had been killed, he said. Two other British nationals, a Norwegian, two police officers and a security guard were also hurt in the firefight, he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
Unknown,....it could be money but also possible that they want the Algerian Government to deny landing rights to the French who are moving troops in to the Mali area to fight the Militants there...
Lots of sand to pound around there.
oh my goodness, will they have to use guns to free them?! (Sarc)
Earlier, a man claiming to be a spokesman for the militants told BBC Arabic that al-Qaeda had carried out the attack.
I wonder if Obama even knows if this has happened yet? Or did he watch it happen from the comfort of his private residence surrounded by children. /s
Do you know whether there was any response to this news yet from the White House? Just curious.
In related news:
_resident Zero gave a speech about guns or something and then attended a party to say goodbye to Timothy Geithner....
************************************EXCERPT***********************************
US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that Americans were among those seized, while Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore said one of its nationals was a hostage.
I heard it’s a AQ group claiming credit for the hostage taking: kidnappings.
The Marxist seems too busy with trying to disarm us to bother with this event.
BUMP..
Thanks very much.
OOOOPS. I posted before reading your confirmation link.
The hostage takers did not fare well.
Al Qaeda-linked group claims credit for kidnappings in Algeria
See #16 as well.
Wait, we can’t use guns to free them because guns are “Evil” perhaps we should just use Twinkies or pencils as weapons instead
they may have never tasted the delicacy from the West....LOL!
LOL wait I almost forgot..the damn Unions destroyed the Twinkies..guess they gotta go in unarmed
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