In apparent retaliation for Algeria allowing France to use its airspace to attack Islamist militants in Mali, radical Islamist militants have seized control of a gas field in southern Algeria and taken the staff hostage. The details are not clear yet, and the field was run by nationals from multiple countries, including the United States, but reports say the militants have taken as many as 41 hostages, at least 7 of which have been injured and at least 2 killed in the initial takeover of the facility.
“In order to protect their safety, I’m not going to get into numbers. I’m not going to get into names,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “I’m not going to get into any further details as we continue to work on this issue.”
The Islamic Maghreb, a rebel insurgency with ties to Al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for the attack. They are allegedly operating under the orders of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a former high ranking Al Qaeda leader who broke away and formed his own insurgency after disputes with the other Qaeda leaders.
Algeria has taken swift action to retake the field. “The Algerian authorities will not respond to the demands of the terrorists and will not negotiate,” Algeria’s interior minister, Daho Ould Kabila, told the state news agency.
Algerian Interior Minister Daho Ould Kabila said the militants wanted to leave the country with the hostages, to which Kabila responded by ordering the border to be closed until the hostages could be released and the hostage-takers secured.
Presently, Algerian troops have surrounded the gas field and “are consolidating their position around the base,” according to Kabila.
