Algeria hostage standoff ongoing, shifts to plant

A standoff between Algerian security forces and Islamist hostage-takers was continuing late Thursday at a remote gas complex, where the military had surrounded gunmen at a plant after freeing a residential compound, the state APS news agency reported.

APS initially cited authorities as saying the rescue operation, in which a number of captives and an "important number" of hostage-takers were killed according to a government minister, was over, dpa reported.

But the agency later said it had been referring to a raid on the residential compound, where most of the hostages were being held since Wednesday, and that a standoff continued at a nearby plant.

Algeria's Information Minister Mohammed Said told state television earlier the rescue operation involved more than one site at the In Amenas gas facility, which is operated by Britain's BP, Norway's Statoil and Algerian state company Sonatrach.

The militants had claimed that 35 hostages and 15 captors - including their leader Abu al-Baraa - were killed in an earlier airstrike on a convoy of vehicles. Their claim, which was reported by Mauritania's ANI news agency, could not be independently confirmed. Said said several hostages - foreign and Algerian - had been freed, but that some had also been killed or injured.

"Unfortunately we deplore some deaths and some people wounded. We don't yet have the numbers," the minister said.

"An important number of terrorists" also were killed, he added.

APS reported four foreign workers - two British, one French and one Kenyan - and 600 Algerian workers had been freed in the operation. Several hostages also escaped, according to French and Algerian reports. Ireland reported the escape of an Irishman. French television said a French doctor had made it to safety after cutting through a barbed wire fence.

Ennahar television reported that 15 foreigners escaped.

The rescue operation began over 30 hours after militants affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb terrorist group claimed to have taken 41 foreign workers hostage. Two people - one British, one Algerian - were killed in their initial attack.

Algeria's iron-fisted handling of the rescue has been criticized by some countries whose citizens were being held. From the outset Algeria's government said it would not negotiate with terrorists.

British Prime Minister David Cameron was informed the rescue operation was underway when he telephoned his Algerian counterpart at 1100 GMT Thursday.

Cameron made clear that he would have preferred to have known in advance of the military action, a government spokesman said.

Later Thursday, Cameron postponed a speech planned Friday in the Netherlands, to stay in Britain and focus on the crisis, Downing Street said.

Cameron said: "It's a fluid situation, it's ongoing, it's very uncertain. We should be prepared for the possibility of further bad news, very difficult news, in this extremely difficult situation."

The United States said it had no details about the status of American and other hostages and it was "seeking clarity" from the Algerian government.

The Norwegian government said it had no information about the status of nine of its nationals.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said Algerian authorities informed him at about 1100 GMT that the military operation already was underway.

"They had sought a solution overnight but felt they had no other option but to launch the operation," Stoltenberg said, but declined to comment on the decision to launch the attack.

Norwegian energy group Statoil was to evacuate 40 personnel from Algeria as soon possible, chief executive Helge Lund said.

The so-called Blood Signatories brigade of one-eyed Algerian terrorist Mokhtar Belmokhtar had demanded an end to France's military operation against al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb group and two other rebel groups in neighbouring Mali.

French President Francois Hollande said the hostage-taking vindicated France's decision to tackle the terrorist groups.