30 hostages killed as Algeria crisis ends

ALGIERS: Thirty hostages were killed last night when Algerian forces stormed a remote desert gas plant occupied by militants in retaliation for French intervention in Mali, an Algerian security official said.

Of these, eight were Algerians and seven were foreigners, including two British, two Japanese and a French national.

Some eight hours after the army assault began, the Algerian state media said it was over.

At least 11 militants including their leader were killed in the operation. Two Algerians, including the group's leader Tahar Ben Cheneb, a prominent commander in the region, were among the dead, along with three Egyptians, two Tunisians, two Libyans, a Malian and a French citizen.

Western leaders expressed anger they had not been consulted before the operation and scrambled for word of their citizens. Algeria said its troops had been forced to act to free them due to the "diehard" attitude of their captors.

Al Qaeda-linked militants seized the Ain Amenas installation on Wednesday taking local and foreign workers hostage and sparking a tense standoff

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