US News

Algerian forces end terror standoff in bloody raid

The four-day terrorist standoff at a natural-gas plant in the middle of the Sahara ended in a violent bloodbath yesterday that left 18 dead after an Algerian special-forces assault.

Eleven militants were killed in the raid at the remote In Amenas complex — but not before seven foreign captives were believed killed by captors in “retaliation,” a security official told Agence France-Presse.

Yesterday’s death toll brought the total fatalities in the crisis to 32 al Qaeda-linked militants and 23 hostages, the Algerian government said.

Among those dead were 15 burned bodies found in the natural-gas complex, which the terrorists had laced with mines and booby traps.

Dozens of people are still unaccounted for, and the death toll is expected to rise.

Western nations widely criticized Algeria’s handling of the standoff, saying they were not informed of the government’s plans to stage the raid.

But Algeria defended its actions and said its special forces “launched an intervention with efficiency and professionalism.”

The heavily armed terrorists, known as “Signatories in Blood,” seized the remote plant at dawn Wednesday and took hundreds of workers hostage. The group reportedly had planned for two months to blow up the complex and flee to neighboring Mali with the captives.

A majority of the hostages — 685 Algerians and about 107 foreigners — were freed Thursday in an Algerian rescue operation.

Sixteen others — including two Americans — were freed separately before yesterday’s assault. As many as eight Americans were at the Algerian plant Wednesday, US officials said.

Rescued hostage Steven Wysocki, of Elbert, Colo., texted his wife, Kristi, during the siege, according to Dressage-News.com.

“I love you. Bad problems. I hope I can talk again,” he texted at 1:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Then later: “It’s a terror attack. I’m OK now. Will try to call you later.”

Wysocki was flown from Algeria to a base in Germany Friday night.

“Tonight I’ll sleep because he’s in good hands,” said Kristi.

One American, Frederick Buttaccio, 58, was confirmed dead after suffering a heart attack during the raid, Fox News reported. Buttaccio, of Katy, Texas, worked as a sales-operations coordinator at BP, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The gas plant near the Libyan border is run by BP, Norway’s Statoil and Algeria’s state-owned oil outfit. It employs hundreds of workers from around the world.

Four BP workers remained missing yesterday, but 14 others were saved — including Mark Cobb, a manager at the plant, the oil giant said.

Hostages described fearing both captors and the Algerian army while being rescued.

“When we left the compound, there was shooting all around,” said freed hostage Ruben Andrada, 49, as Algerian helicopters attacked with guns and missiles. “I closed my eyes. We were going around in the desert. To me, I left it all to fate.”

Andrada, a Filipino civil engineer, said captives were used as human shields by the militants and that “explosive cords” — which would detonate if they tried to run away — were strapped around their necks.