| Summary/Abstract |
On January 2013, a terrorist group linked to the organization al-Mourabitoune1 stormed the In Amenas natural-gas facility, Algeria's “economic lung.” Over 800 people were taken hostage, among them 100 foreign workers. Threatening to kill the hostages and destroy the facility, the terrorists demanded the release of all Algerian jihadists and the withdrawal of French troops from northern Mali. Against expectations, Algerian authorities made it clear from the outset that they had no intention of either giving in or letting the terrorists leave Algeria. As a result, the national Special Forces were quickly dispatched to the area and surrounded it. During the standoff, a first group of jihadists tried to leave the facility with several hostages in their vehicles. However, the Special Forces poured a relentless barrage of fire on them to prevent them from escaping, causing the deaths of all the terrorists present in those vehicles and many of their hostages. Then, the Special Forces stormed the facility itself and killed the remaining jihadists.2 During these two assaults, 32 foreign hostages were killed.
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