Algeria

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Dozens Die of Thirst After Desert Stranding

5 bodies discovered following vehicle's breakdown near Sahara

(Newser) - Statements don't get much bleaker than this: "About 40 Niger people, including numerous children and women, who were attempting to emigrate to Algeria, died of thirst in mid-October." That's what the mayor of Agadez, Niger, tells the AFP , which reports that one of two vehicles carrying...

164 to Go: US Transferring 2 Gitmo Prisoners to Algeria

No details available yet about them

(Newser) - The White House plans to transfer two detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Algeria, the first movement of prisoners out since the president announced a renewed push to close the military-run detention center in Cuba. The White House said it was starting the transfers as part of Obama's goal to...

US Might Expand 'Kill List' Into North Africa

Officials debate adding Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar

(Newser) - Amid the debate about whether US drone strikes go too far, the Wall Street Journal reports that US officials are considering a "significant" expansion of the nation's targeted-killing program into northwest Africa. Specifically, the powers-that-be are debating whether to add Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar to the Pentagon's...

North Africa Militants Eye New Western Targets: Report

New concerns about al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

(Newser) - Washington is growing increasingly concerned about groups like al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, once considered less of a threat than other branches. Following the attack on an Algerian gas plant that killed dozens, north African militant groups are on the hunt for new Western targets, US officials tell the Washington ...

To Fight African Terrorism, Start by Educating Girls

Military-only strategy is doomed to fail: Malcolm Potts

(Newser) - The US and the entire world ought to be very worried about what's going in in Mali , Algeria , and the rest of the Sahel region in Africa, because things are going to get much worse without "radical new policies," writes obstetrician Malcolm Potts in the Los Angeles ...

Why the Algerian Gas Plant Didn't Have Armed Guards

Officials differ on whether more security could have stopped large attack

(Newser) - The companies that run the Algerian gas plant overrun by militants last week decided against deploying armed guards in the large compound, depending instead on government patrols in the area and steel wire fences for protection, reports the New York Times . Many experts think an armed force, common at many...

Algeria Gas-Plant Survivor Tells of Harrowing Escape

Liviu Floria, seven others wandered through the desert for hours

(Newser) - Liviu Floria began his shift at the In Amenas plant last Wednesday expecting a day like any other, but the Romanian gas worker would within days find himself wandering through the desert with seven co-workers, desperate to escape the Algerian militants who had seized the facility, reports the New York ...

Algeria Vows al-Qaeda Crackdown

Says Canadians masterminded raid

(Newser) - Algeria's prime minister yesterday promised that his country would dedicate itself to fighting al-Qaeda in the wake of a disastrous hostage rescue that left 38 workers dead , including three Americans. "There is clear political will" to fight terrorism, Abdelmalek Sellal told reporters. He also said that a Canadian...

2 Canadians Among Dead Militants in Algeria
 Algeria Raid Kills 37 Hostages 
UPDATED
Jan 21, 2013 9:44 AM CST

Algeria Raid Kills 37 Hostages

Islamist attackers came from many countries, authorities say, including 2 Canadians

(Newser) - The hostages weren't the only Westerners involved in the Sahara gas plant crisis, according to Algerian authorities. Security sources say two Canadian Islamists were among the attackers found dead after the crisis came to a bloody end, Reuters reports. Authorities say the militants, who claimed the attack on behalf...

5 Arrested in Algeria Crisis; Death Toll at 81

Mali-based terrorist takes responsibility for attack

(Newser) - Officials in Algeria have arrested five suspects in the Algerian gas-plant hostage crisis that left at least 81 people dead, report the BBC and AP . All five are members of an Islamist group, according to a private TV channel, and Algerian officials say each hailed from one of six different...

'Numerous' Bodies Found at Algerian Gas Plant

Officials demining facility today find new bodies they say are unidentifiable

(Newser) - Algerian bomb squads scouring a gas plant where Islamist militants took dozens of foreign workers hostage found "numerous" new bodies today as they searched for explosive traps left behind by the attackers, a security official said, a day after a bloody raid ended the four-day siege of the remote...

It's Over: 7 Hostages Killed in Final Raid

Algeria storms gas plant to end siege

(Newser) - The Algerian hostage standoff appears to be over after four days, but the end came with more bloodshed: The government says kidnappers executed seven hostages during this morning's "final assault." That brings the death toll to at least 32 "terrorists" and 23 hostages, including one American...

1 American Dead in Algeria Standoff

2 others may still be in captivity

(Newser) - At least one American is among the dead in the Algerian hostage standoff, reports AP . It identifies him as Texas resident Frederick Buttaccio and says US officials recovered his remains from the sprawling gas complex today. NBC News say he was one of five Americans at the plant: Two others...

Algerian Militants Tell US to Free 2 Jailed Terrorists

Report says they will free US hostages in return

(Newser) - A day after Algeria said it had wrapped up its mission to free hostages held by militants at a desert gas facility, the situation remains anything but wrapped up. By most accounts, dozens of hostages are still being held, with an unspecified number of Americans among them. Some developments:
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22 Hostages Still Missing in Algeria: Report

...as standoff between military, militants continues

(Newser) - After the Algerian military launched an attack on militants holding hostages at a gas field, numbers remain hazy, but Reuters reports that the whereabouts of 22 of those hostages—14 Japanese and eight Norwegians—remain unknown. Algerian special forces continue to surround the site, a local insider tells Reuters, adding...

Algerian Hostage Raid Over —Casualties Still Unclear

Government confirms some hostages are dead

(Newser) - Algeria says its mission to free about 40 foreign hostages—including Americans—is now over, but there's still no clear information about how many of the captives survived, reports AP . The Algerian government confirms that some hostages were killed in the raid on a gas facility in the desert,...

Early Reports: 35 Hostages Killed in Algeria Crisis

Many had already escaped, according to earlier reports

(Newser) - Some 35 hostages and 15 Islamist militants in the Algerian crisis have reportedly been killed in a helicopter attack launched by the Algerian military, reports the AP . Those numbers, however, were released by the militants, who also announced that seven of the 41 hostages taken, including two Americans, are still...

Americans Taken Hostage in Algerian Attack

Seven believed to be among 41 taken at BP gas field

(Newser) - Americans were among the foreigners taken hostage today in an attack on a BP natural gas field in Algeria, US officials have confirmed. An al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist group has claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it retaliation for France's incursion into Mali, Reuters reports. The militants are still occupying the...

France Launches Mali Ground Offensive

Troops will be fighting Islamist rebels within hours, military says

(Newser) - France has launched a ground operation in Mali, and its troops should be in direct combat with radical Islamists "within hours," military officials tell the AP . The incursion began overnight, with troops pressing from the capital into rebel-held northern territory. France also announced yesterday that it was boosting...

With Gadhafi Gone, Locusts Plague Libya

Insect swarms threaten crops in neighboring countries too

(Newser) - One little drawback to Gadhafi's downfall: Locust swarms are buzzing around the Libyan desert and putting croplands at risk, Mother Nature Network reports. "The fall of Gadhafi was an enormous factor, to be honest," says the top locust forecasting officer at the Food and Agricultural Organization. "...

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