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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Irish hostage in Algeria freed | Irish hostage in Algeria freed |
| (25 days later) | |
| An Irishman who was among a group of gas workers kidnapped in Algeria has been freed and is safe, Ireland's foreign ministry has said. | An Irishman who was among a group of gas workers kidnapped in Algeria has been freed and is safe, Ireland's foreign ministry has said. |
| The 36-year-old married man from west Belfast made contact with his family at about 3pm. "He has been in touch with his family. We understand that he is safe and well. He is no longer a hostage," a ministry spokesman told Reuters. | The 36-year-old married man from west Belfast made contact with his family at about 3pm. "He has been in touch with his family. We understand that he is safe and well. He is no longer a hostage," a ministry spokesman told Reuters. |
| Algerian forces launched an operation to free hostages held at a remote desert gas plant on Thursday. Details of the military operation have been difficult to confirm. Algeria's official APS news agency said the military had freed four foreign hostages; other sources said six foreign hostages had been killed and seven were still being held. | Algerian forces launched an operation to free hostages held at a remote desert gas plant on Thursday. Details of the military operation have been difficult to confirm. Algeria's official APS news agency said the military had freed four foreign hostages; other sources said six foreign hostages had been killed and seven were still being held. |
| As many as 180 Algerian hostages have managed to flee, according to local sources. | As many as 180 Algerian hostages have managed to flee, according to local sources. |
| The standoff began when gunmen calling themselves the Battalion of Blood stormed the In Amenas gas field on Wednesday morning. They said they were holding 41 foreigners and demanded a halt to a French military operation against fellow al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants in neighbouring Mali. | The standoff began when gunmen calling themselves the Battalion of Blood stormed the In Amenas gas field on Wednesday morning. They said they were holding 41 foreigners and demanded a halt to a French military operation against fellow al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants in neighbouring Mali. |
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