The White House said Wednesday it was closely monitoring the situation in Algeria after armed Islamists seized 41 Western hostages including seven Americans in an attack on a gas field.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and are in touch with the Algerians and our other partners in the region,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told AFP.
The Islamists told the Mauritanian News Agency and Sahara Media that 41 Westerners, including seven Americans, (as well as) French, British and Japanese citizens have been taken hostage.”
Algeria’s APS news agency said two people were killed, including a Briton, and six injured in the dawn attack by suspected Al-Qaeda loyalists in Tigantourine in southern Algeria.
The gas field is jointly operated by British oil giant BP, Norway’s Statoil and state-run Algerian energy firm Sonatrach.
On Tuesday, Algeria announced it had closed its border with Mali, following a French offensive against Al-Qaeda in its southern neighbor, but the 2,000-kilometer (1,200-mile) desert frontier is almost impossible to seal.
White House monitoring Algeria hostage situation
