Algeria. Amenas oil extraction facility, on the border with Libya. A group of Islamic extremists affiliated with Al Qaeda kidnaps a thousand workers, including several Westerners, in response to French intervention in northern Mali. The Algerian government decides to intervene on January 20, without coordinating with other countries. The heavy firefight leaves 39 hostages and 29 militants dead. 685 Algerian workers and 107 foreigners are freed. Three terrorists are captured.
