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BP workers held hostage in Algeria

Check the news.... :(
 
The Algerian army attacked... latest count seems to be 15 Terrorists dead, 30 hostages dead, 7 hostages survived. Horrific.
 
Thanks MJ; has me rethinking future career moves...
 
So sad...we are celebrating a local survivor of this in Belfast...but fear for the others.
 
One of the reasons given for the attack was of course the French intervention in the conflict in Mali with the French air force overflying Algeria on many of its missions. The conflict in Mali itself possibly triggered by the return of Tuareg mercenary troops after the fall of Libya in the "Arab Spring" . Formerly working for the Moammar Gadhafi regime this group ,who took much of their heavy weaponry with them when they left , joined the Azawad National Liberation Movement - known by its French acronym MNLA - and Islamist groups in the fight against the Malian home government. Tuaregs' ties with Libya linked to Mali's crisis | World | DW.DE | 10.05.2012 After the French intervention [ assisted in the background by Britain] reprisals against western powers were promised--- and so then the aggrieved parties go to Terrorist-U-Like and hire local warlord [ he'll do anything for a buck! ] Mokhtar Belmokhtar BBC News - Profile: Mokhtar Belmokhtar to perform the "hit" for you and the attack on the desert gas complex occurs. I think it illustrates the huge complexity of these local conflicts which the western powers still seem to think can be solved by locally bombing the sh*t out of a few people when all it seems to do is set in train a huge set of unforseen consequences over a much more global front. God knows what the fallout from the Syrian thing is eventually going to bring as that country seems to descend into further chaos?? :dk:
 
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It has been pointed-out though that such an attack requires careful planning and could not have possibly been arranged overnight.

It is not unusual for terrorist organisations (and even states) to prepare attacks well in advance and then time them with an external event which they use as 'trigger'.

So Mali or no Mali... that BP installation was going to be attacked.

The bigger issues is that acts of terrorism have a way of spreading - Islamic suicide bombing only emerged in the eighties in Chechnya and Lebanon (299 French and US soldiers killed on 23rd October 1983), and look where it is now - raising fears that the oil industry will now become the main target of Al-Qaida affiliated terrorists, with the obvious implications to the world's economy.

No wonder Obama, Cameron, and Hollande are worried.
 
Agree with Mark - the attack was definetely premeditated...

What's worrying me, at a personal level, is that I was in the area not so long ago. I keep looking at the news expecting to see my W202 with a bunch of guys carrying ak's sitting on the roof.

What's sad is that for many of the people living in the region, this was the worst thing that could happen. Many survive on tourism as their sole source of income; so events like these mean they are now going hungry.

The people who I know in timbuktu have been celebrating since the French moved out the AQIM troops. What they don't realise is that it will take quite a while to rebuild the confidence of tourists before the cashflow starts again.

M
 
Al Jazeera announced over 35 hostages killed yesterday afternoon, BBC said nothing was known about the safety of hostages this morning. News is being "managed"
 
markjay said:
raising fears that the oil industry will now become the main target of Al-Qaida affiliated terrorists, with the obvious implications to the world's economy.

No wonder Obama, Cameron, and Hollande are worried.
Click to expand...

At a time when production from the North Sea is being limited due to the Cormorant Alpha leak - yet we won't admit the dangers of our addiction to fossil fuels.

On a more personal level, being born and raised in Aberdeen, I know a lot of people who work in the oil industry. News like this creates concern in me and plenty other Aberdonians also.
 
Certainly wouldn't be surprised this banditry was pre-meditated but it's surprising how much money these terrorist military "adventures" cost. To borrow an analogy from academia its quite possible that Mokhtar Belmokhtar had a "grant proposal " like this in to al-Qaeda "funding bodies " from some time and the MALI situation prompted them to "released funds" for this brigandry. It's possible that this venture was intended to be "self funding" of course since Mokhtar Belmokhtar has a history of smuggling and extortion? But I wouldn't discount the possibility he was promised a large "incentive" in the shape of money or armaments to carry out this attack.
 
Algeria today. UK..when?
 
redbaron said:
There is such every day. The scale is the key.
Click to expand...

How do you measure scale? By number of deaths?

More innocent people died in the London Underground attack than in Algeria this weekend... does this means that compared to the UK the Algerians are having it easy from the Jihadists?


EDIT: Should have also included the Algerian soldiers that died in this attack - current estimate appears to be 10 soldiers.
 
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markjay said:
How do you measure scale? By number of deaths?

More innocent people died in the London Underground attack than in Algeria this weekend... does this means that compared to the UK the Algerians are having it easy from the Jihadists?


EDIT: Should have also included the Algerian soldiers that died in this attack - current estimate appears to be 10 soldiers.
Click to expand...


More people died because of snow this week than in Algeria or the UK due to Jihadists? Should we stop worrying about terror and just burn more carbon to head up the planet and melt the snow?
 
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