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AP

“Numerous” bodies found at BP plant after Algerian army’s raid to end hostage crisis

“The bodies could be either Algerian or foreign hostages,” he said.

Algerian special forces stormed the natural gas complex in the Sahara desert on Saturday to end the standoff, and the government said all 32 militants were killed. Earlier Sunday, Algeria’s chief government spokesman said he feared the toll of hostages – which stood at 23 on Saturday – would rise as the special forces teams finished their search.

He said the militants came from six countries and were armed to cause maximum destruction. Sonatrach, the Algerian state oil company running the Ain Amenas site along with BP and Norway’s Statoil, said the entire refinery had been mined.

“They had decided to succeed in the operation as planned, to blow up the gas complex and kill all the hostages,” said Communications Minister Mohamed Said, speaking on a state radio interview.

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Hey, but this is not a hate crime. There’s nothing racial here. Has nothing to do with Muslims hating Americans.

Move along now… move along… nothing to see here… move along now…

ericdondero on January 20, 2013 at 10:18 AM

The gas installation “…is a multi-million dollar operation. He can’t make that kind of decision. ” At least they didn’t nuke it from orbit, to be sure.

JFKY on January 20, 2013 at 10:22 AM

He said the militants came from six countries

They must have positively ID’d all of them to make that statement. Do they carry an Al Qaeda ID license?

Buddahpundit on January 20, 2013 at 11:10 AM

An assault weapons ban would have prevented this.

Limerick on January 20, 2013 at 11:17 AM

Islamists linked to al-Qaida stormed the complex on Wednesday

That’s pretty lax security if they can storm your remote compound in the middle of the Sahara, thousands of miles away from cities, with tons of ordnance. Must be BP.

Buddahpundit on January 20, 2013 at 11:21 AM

One Algerian worker, who gave his name only as Chabane, told the Associated Press that at one point the militants caught a man he described as a Briton.

“They threatened him until he called out in English to his friends, telling them, ‘Come out, come out, they’re not going to kill you. They’re looking for the Americans’,” Chabane told AP.

“A few minutes later, they blew him away,” he said

That from the BBC this morning. There are your ‘rational actors’ we have been seeking out in the ME. ***spits on sidewalk***

Limerick on January 20, 2013 at 11:21 AM

One Algerian worker, who gave his name only as Chabane, told the Associated Press that at one point the militants caught a man he described as a Briton.

“They threatened him until he called out in English to his friends, telling them, ‘Come out, come out, they’re not going to kill you. They’re looking for the Americans’,” Chabane told AP.

“A few minutes later, they blew him away,” he said

This is on Zero. He made this mess and refuses to deal with it. His party is more important.

dogsoldier on January 20, 2013 at 12:43 PM