France Invades Mali

[Grey Fox]

Not seeing this mentioned much yet, but apparently al-Q-linked militants took some hostages (including Americans) & killed others in Algeria because of the Mali intervention.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/algerian-security-official-says-islamists-kidnap-8-foreigners-from-bp-oil-installation/2013/01/16/0db1c254-5fd2-11e2-9dc9-bca76dd777b8_story.html

Now should we follow others' examples and blame the French for this, holding mass protests & burning French flags?

Soit vous êtes avec nous, soit vous êtes contre nous.

FYP

I disagree about the second vous êtes.

[CountDeMoney]

Al Jazeera is reporting that practically everybody is dead everywhere.

Thirty-five hostages and 15 kidnappers have been killed in southern Algeria, according to the group holding the hostages.

Thursday's reported deaths came a day after dozens of foreigners and Algerians were taken hostage by heavily armed fighters near the In Amenas gas field.

The fighters said they seized the hostages in retaliation for Algeria letting France use its airspace to launch operations against rebels in northern Mali.

The spokesman for the Masked Brigade, which had claimed responsibility for the abductions on Wednesday, told a Mauritanian news agency that the deaths were a result of an Algerian government helicopter attack on a convoy holding kidnappers and hostages.

The spokesman said that Abou el-Baraa, the leader of the kidnappers, was also killed in the helicopter attack.

The hostage drama began with the ambush of a bus carrying employees from the gas plant to the nearby airport, according to the Algerian government, which said three vehicles of heavily armed men were involved. Two people were killed on Wednesday.

[Ed Anger]

It better be getting to AC-130 gunship time.

[CountDeMoney]

Man, you were in Nam, did you frag any officers or exfiltrate out of Cambodia on a boat ?

Hard to talk about those days, man.

Damned hard.

[CountDeMoney]

Oh boy, another orange jumpsuit decapitation video coming our way.  It's been so long.

French agent 'executed' by al-Shabab
Somali armed group says it will release video of execution "any time it decides" after announcing death of the hostage.

Al-Shebab, the Somalian armed Islamist group, say they have executed a French intelligence agent who they had held captive since 2009.

The al-Qaeda linked group said they killed Denis Allex on Wednesday.

French officials dispute the claim, saying they believe Allex was killed soon after a failed rescue attempt on Saturday.

A senior al-Shebab official told the AFP news agency on Thursday that "audio and video [of the execution] are available and will be released any time we decide".

He added that the hostage was killed in Bulomarer, a rebel-controlled town south of the Somalian capital, Mogadishu.

Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the spokesman for military operation for al-Shebab, said: "Let Muslims enjoy his execution and the French cry."

French troops launched an unsuccessful raid on the town to free Allex on Saturday, which French officials say left two French soldiers and 17 rebel fighters dead.

Al-Shebab had sentenced the hostage to death earlier on Wednesday, saying in a statement it had "reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer".

The group also cited "France's increasing persecution of Muslims around the world, its opressive anti-Islam policies at home, French military operations in ... Afghanistan and, most recently in Mali."

'Manipulating the media'

The French army accused al-Shebab of "manipulating the media" on Wednesday.

A video showing Allex appealing to the French president Francois Hollande was released by the group in July.

"Mr President, I am still alive, but for how long? That depends upon you, for if you do not reach an agreement for my release, then I am afraid this will be the last message you receive from me," said Allex reading from a sheet of paper.

"My life depends on you."

Allex, believed to be a psuedonym for the agent, was kidnapped in Mogadishu in July 2009 along with another French intelligence officer, Marc Aubriere from the Directorate-General for External Security.

Aubriere escaped captivity a month later.

[Duque de Bragança]

Not seeing this mentioned much yet, but apparently al-Q-linked militants took some hostages (including Americans) & killed others in Algeria because of the Mali intervention.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/algerian-security-official-says-islamists-kidnap-8-foreigners-from-bp-oil-installation/2013/01/16/0db1c254-5fd2-11e2-9dc9-bca76dd777b8_story.html

Now should we follow others' examples and blame the French for this, holding mass protests & burning French flags?

Soit vous êtes avec nous, soit vous êtes contre nous.

FYP

I disagree about the second vous êtes.

But you spelled it properly this time. Mission accomplished!

[Duque de Bragança]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21063370

Algeria siege: Military operation under way

An Algerian military operation is under way at a gas facility in eastern Algeria where hostages were being held, Algeria's state news agency reports.

Four foreign hostages were freed but the operation resulted in a number of "victims", APS agency said.

Algerian soldiers had been surrounding the facility near In Amenas that kidnappers occupied on Wednesday, after killing a Briton and an Algerian.

Reports quoting militants said at least 34 hostages and 14 kidnappers died.

Militants told Mauritania's ANI news agency that seven foreign hostages were still alive after the Algerian military raid.

Nearly 600 Algerian workers and four foreign hostages - two from Scotland, one from France and one from Kenya - were freed during the operation, APS reported.

An Irishman who had been kidnapped was freed and has spoken to his family, Ireland's foreign ministry said.

APS quoted an unnamed source as saying that "about half" the foreign hostages had been freed.

Algerian Army assault, Russian-style?

[Grey Fox]

Not seeing this mentioned much yet, but apparently al-Q-linked militants took some hostages (including Americans) & killed others in Algeria because of the Mali intervention.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/algerian-security-official-says-islamists-kidnap-8-foreigners-from-bp-oil-installation/2013/01/16/0db1c254-5fd2-11e2-9dc9-bca76dd777b8_story.html

Now should we follow others' examples and blame the French for this, holding mass protests & burning French flags?

Soit vous êtes avec nous, soit vous êtes contre nous.

FYP

I disagree about the second vous êtes.

But you spelled it properly this time. Mission accomplished!

I did it properly the first time too, just properly for 1613.

I'm a going to let it slide this time but taking shit from a Frenchman on french is total BS.

[MadImmortalMan]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21063370

Algeria siege: Military operation under way



Algerian Army assault, Russian-style?

Looks that way, yeah. They're taking it into their own hands. Or did. Now it's over.



Edit: Maybe this is why Cameron's delaying his big party thing tomorrow.

British Prime Minister Cameron told Algeria's Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal he was "extremely concerned" about the "very grave and serious situation." Japan has asked Algeria to immediately stop operations that are "endangering hostages' lives." The U.S. has asked Algeria for clarification on the loss of life, and says that it doesn't know if the American hostages are alive.
--------
[UPDATE 1:46 p.m.] UK Prime Minister David Cameron says: "It's a fluid, ongoing and very uncertain situation... we should be prepared for further bad news."

[Ed Anger]

US grants request to airlift a Frog Mech Battalion.

[derspiess]

US grants request to airlift a Frog Mech Battalion.

Not that I oppose doing so, but we're better friends to them than they deserve sometimes.

[Ed Anger]

The decks of the C-17's will be covered in wine bottles and used condoms.

[DGuller]

US grants request to airlift a Frog Mech Battalion.

Not that I oppose doing so, but we're better friends to them than they deserve sometimes.

Yeah, we're transporting someone else to the front lines to battle our enemy.  How selfless of us.

[derspiess]

US grants request to airlift a Frog Mech Battalion.

Not that I oppose doing so, but we're better friends to them than they deserve sometimes.

Yeah, we're transporting someone else to the front lines to battle our enemy.  How selfless of us.

That's some pretty valuable assistance, actually.  And for a fight France started. 

Just hard to forget them pissing on us when we asked for less help, like using their airspace in 1986.

[Duque de Bragança]

Not seeing this mentioned much yet, but apparently al-Q-linked militants took some hostages (including Americans) & killed others in Algeria because of the Mali intervention.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/algerian-security-official-says-islamists-kidnap-8-foreigners-from-bp-oil-installation/2013/01/16/0db1c254-5fd2-11e2-9dc9-bca76dd777b8_story.html

Now should we follow others' examples and blame the French for this, holding mass protests & burning French flags?

Soit vous êtes avec nous, soit vous êtes contre nous.

FYP

I disagree about the second vous êtes.

But you spelled it properly this time. Mission accomplished!

I did it properly the first time too, just properly for 1613.

I'm a going to let it slide this time but taking shit from a Frenchman on french is total BS.

So from a Portuguese it's alright then? As you wish