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| North Africa |
| Missing tourists held by Islamists |
| 2003-04-29 |
| EFL Algeria has made an important breakthrough in its search for 31 missing European tourists with the discovery of one of their vehicles and confirmation from a senior army official that they are in the hands of more than a dozen Islamists. The tourists have been separated into two groups and are being held in canyons and gullies near the town of Illizi, which lies near the Libyan border some 900 miles south-east of Algiers, a senior security official told the French newspaper Le Monde yesterday. The 15 Germans, 10 Austrians, four Swiss, a Dutchman and a Swede who, while travelling in seven different groups, have gone missing since mid-February, are being held by rebels led by local Islamist leader Emir Ammari. "They are well and their lives are not in danger," the Algerian official told Le Monde. He said the hostages appeared to have plenty of water, but were beginning to run out of food. The Algerian army is respecting the wishes of Germany and several other countries that there should be no attempt to liberate the hostages by force. Security officials have been ordered to let the Islamists go free if they release their captives. "We will have a chance to catch them another day," the official said. He speculated, however, that the group - part of the armed Salafist Group for Call and Combat - might seek to exchange the hostages for Algerian terrorists jailed recently for planning bomb attacks in Strasbourg. That's my guess. Officially, Algeria has refused to comment on the tourists' whereabouts. A similar silence from the five European countries involved has prompted various rumours about their fate. On Sunday a senior official in charge of search operations told the Algerian newspaper El Watan that he did not believe Islamists could have kidnapped the tourists because such groups did not normally hold on to hostages. Le Monde reported that Algerian officials had been concerned that the hostage-takers might try to move their captives south to Niger or further north inside Algeria, where other Islamist groups are active. News that the tourists had been located, however, was confirmed independently to Agence France Press by a diplomatic source in neighbouring Mali on Sunday. "The 31 have been spotted and our Algerian brothers are working in double quick time to ensure their release," the official said. Double quick time must be different in Algeria. The Algerian newspaper al-Khabar reported on Sunday that the army was besieging a group of some 300 Islamists near Emir Ammari's home town of Tebessa. If they stop the siege, you'll know a deal is in the works. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 "They are well and their lives are not in danger," the Algerian official told Le Monde. Well, other than the whole being kidnapped by Islamists and held for months in desert canyons and gullies thing, they're fine. |
| Posted by: Tibor 2003-04-29 15:43:29 |