Hostages die as troops bring Algeria desert siege to an end

Algerian special forces brought the hostage crisis at a desert gas plant to a bloody end today, with up to seven foreigners killed in the final assault.

Philip Hammond, the Defence Secretary, said that the attack had “resulted in further loss of life” as he announced that the the four-day siege was over.

“We’re pressing the Algerians for details on the exact situation,” Mr Hammond said. The deaths, he added, were “appalling and unacceptable and we must be clear that it is the terrorists who bear sole responsibility