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| Three Britons confirmed dead in Algeria - PM | Three Britons confirmed dead in Algeria - PM |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Three Britons are confirmed to have been killed and three more are believed to be dead after the Algeria hostage crisis, the prime minister has said. | Three Britons are confirmed to have been killed and three more are believed to be dead after the Algeria hostage crisis, the prime minister has said. |
| One further UK resident is also thought to be dead, David Cameron said. | One further UK resident is also thought to be dead, David Cameron said. |
| The 22 other Britons caught up in the crisis are now back in the UK, Foreign Secretary William Hague said. | |
| A raid by Algerian troops ended a four-day siege at the In Amenas gas facility on Saturday. Algeria says at least 23 hostages and 32 militants died. | A raid by Algerian troops ended a four-day siege at the In Amenas gas facility on Saturday. Algeria says at least 23 hostages and 32 militants died. |
| Algeria's minister of communications said the final death toll might rise and there would be an announcement in the next few hours. | |
| The Foreign Office said the three confirmed dead included a Briton killed on Wednesday in the initial raid by militants. | |
| 'Cowardly attack' | 'Cowardly attack' |
| Speaking at Chequers, Mr Cameron said the attack was a "stark reminder" of the continuing terrorist threat and said he would use Britain's chairmanship of the G8 to ensure that it was at the top of the international agenda. | |
| "This is a global threat and it will require a global response. It will require a response that is about years, even decades, rather than months," he said. | |
| "It requires a response that is patient and painstaking, that is tough but also intelligent, but above all has an absolutely iron resolve and that is what we will deliver over these coming years." | |
| Mr Hague said the British survivors had flown back to the UK on government and BP chartered flights overnight and were now being reunited with their families. | |
| The crisis began on Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers the remote site in south-eastern Algeria. | The crisis began on Wednesday when militants attacked two buses carrying foreign workers the remote site in south-eastern Algeria. |
| The militants then took Algerians and foreign workers hostage at the complex, which was quickly surrounded by the Algerian army. | The militants then took Algerians and foreign workers hostage at the complex, which was quickly surrounded by the Algerian army. |
| A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant was launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighbouring Mali. | A statement from the kidnappers said the assault on the gas plant was launched in retaliation for French intervention against Islamist groups in neighbouring Mali. |
| However, France only decided last week to intervene militarily in Mali. Analysts say the assault on the gas facility was well-planned and would have required advance research, as well as possibly inside help. | However, France only decided last week to intervene militarily in Mali. Analysts say the assault on the gas facility was well-planned and would have required advance research, as well as possibly inside help. |
| Algerian officials said the hostage-takers belonged to a new Islamist group formed by a veteran Algerian militant and kidnapper, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who recently broke from al-Qaeda. | Algerian officials said the hostage-takers belonged to a new Islamist group formed by a veteran Algerian militant and kidnapper, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who recently broke from al-Qaeda. |
| The Algerian armed forces attacked on Thursday as militants tried to move some of their captives from the facility. | The Algerian armed forces attacked on Thursday as militants tried to move some of their captives from the facility. |
| 'Iron resolve' | |
| Mr Cameron paid his condolences to the bereaved families, who had undergone "an absolutely dreadful ordeal". | |
| He said questions would be asked about the Algerian response to the crisis, but he added: "The responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched these vicious and cowardly attacks. | |
| "When you are dealing with a terrorist incident on this scale, with up to 30 terrorists, it is extremely difficult to respond and get this right in every respect." | |
| State news agency APS said 685 Algerian workers and 107 out of 132 foreigners working at the plant had been freed. | |
| The nationalities of some of the hostages killed are still not known, but as well as the Britons, US, Norwegian, and Japanese nationals are still missing. | |
| "Everything seems to indicate" that a Colombian citizen resident in the UK is among the dead, the Colombian president has said. | |
| But he added that information about Carlos Estrada, who worked for BP, was "not 100%". | |
| No details have been given of the British hostages. | |
| Earlier, the Scottish government confirmed that eight Scots were "safe and secure", but First Minister Alex Salmond added that there were Scots, or individuals with strong Scottish connections, among those believed to have been killed or remaining unaccounted for. | |
| The In Amenas gas field is situated at Tigantourine, about 40km (25 miles) south-west of the town of In Amenas and 1,300km (800 miles) south-east of Algiers. | |
| The plant is jointly run by BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's state-owned oil company. | |
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