34 hostages reported killed in Algerian army raid on gas works: agencies

Thirty-four hostages and 14 of their captors were reportedly killed in an air raid on Thursday afternoon by the Algerian armed forces.

Thirty-four hostages and 14 of their captors were reportedly killed in an air raid on Thursday afternoon by the Algerian armed forces [2], Mauritania’s ANI news agency reported.The agency has close ties to the militant group, a subsidiary of the Katibat Moulathamine (Masked Brigade) known as Those Who Signed in Blood [3], and news agencies have so far been unable to confirm the reports.

The Algerian military also reportedly destroyed vehicles used by the kidnappers.

A spokesman for the group claimed the kidnappers would kill the remaining hostages if the Algerian army approached [4].The head of the group, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, is a veteran of Algeria’s civil war and the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. The UN designated him an Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist in 2003.Belmokhtar is involved in extensive criminal activity, according to the UN [5], including kidnapping, gunrunning, smuggling and murder.

At least three Japanese were among the 41 foreigners kidnapped by heavily armed Islamist gunmen attacked a gas complex in Algeria. (AFP Photo/Jiji Press)