Algerians royally screws up rescue operation of kidnapped gas workers, many die

[Doppel]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nment-executes-botched-raid-BP-gas-field.html

This is early days in this and what happened, but it appears that Algeria decided to launch a rescue operation, did not welcome offered advice from SAS or US special forces, and fucked it up with their amateurish approach, and now many are dead.

Obviously the blame on these deaths lies first with the kidnappers, but it seems this could have been handled way better.

 

[irishScott]

I have a list of countries I will never visit under any circumstances barring sweeping political/cultural change. Algeria is on said list.

Frankly I say we show them the same courtesy, kindly (with no notice) send in Delta Force to do the job right and show them up in their own back yard.

 

[randomrogue]

I can't imagine any of those people being tourists. Nobody goes to Algeria for tourism. They chose to be there for work.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I dont think there was any way to get all people out. Only a matter of how many hostages would die.

Letting foreign forces kill people in your country is also something thats legaly a problem.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I can't imagine any of those people being tourists. Nobody goes to Algeria for tourism. They chose to be there for work.

Yet over a million tourists goes there every year.

 

[randomrogue]

Yet over a million tourists goes there every year.

You sure that's not an old number? Algeria had a civil war in the 1990's, kidnappings in the 2000's, and is pretty much off limits if you care about your own personal safety. A million today?! What are tourist numbers for Angola then? DR Congo? Sudan?

 

[Nintendesert]

I have a list of countries I will never visit under any circumstances barring sweeping political/cultural change. Algeria is on said list.

Frankly I say we show them the same courtesy, kindly (with no notice) send in Delta Force to do the job right and show them up in their own back yard.

Why? Why the constant need to fight in other people's countries when not invited?

The government there didn't want outsider help, that's their business. The people working there chose to go there knowing the risks of working under an incompetent government in a country with loads of violence. They chose the money over safety and lost that risk/reward decision.

 

[ShintaiDK]

You sure that's not an old number? Algeria had a civil war in the 1990's, kidnappings in the 2000's, and is pretty much off limits if you care about your own personal safety. A million today?! What are tourist numbers for Angola then? DR Congo? Sudan?

It was 1.2 million tourists in 2010 arcording to the wiki. But Index numbers show numbers close to 2 million.

I dont know the numbers for the others. Algeria is a tourist destination for europeans.

If Algeria is close to 2 million, then Angola is 400K arcordring to the Index.

 

[JimKiler]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...nment-executes-botched-raid-BP-gas-field.html

This is early days in this and what happened, but it appears that Algeria decided to launch a rescue operation, did not welcome offered advice from SAS or US special forces, and fucked it up with their amateurish approach, and now many are dead.

Obviously the blame on these deaths lies first with the kidnappers, but it seems this could have been handled way better.

At least they handled it, it could have been in Pakistan where half the military sympathizes with Al Qaeda. I am amused that media report how the US and France were not consulted before the raid. Well you know what maybe we are superior at this kind of thing, but Algeria is still run by Algerians so they can do it there way.

Algeria is also were those terrorists came from that wanted to destroy the Eiffel tower similar 9/11 in the 90's.

 

[PottedMeat]

It was 1.2 million tourists in 2010.

i don't think those are the people going into the deep interior desert near the libyan border. the mediterranean coast is probably pretty sweet though.

 

[ShintaiDK]

i don't think those are the people going into the deep interior desert near the libyan border. the mediterranean coast is probably pretty sweet though.

Yep.

 

[randomrogue]

It was 1.2 million tourists in 2010 arcording to the wiki. But Index numbers show numbers close to 2 million.

I dont know the numbers for the others. Algeria is a tourist destination for europeans.

If Algeria is close to 2 million, then Angola is 400K arcordring to the Index.

According to Wikipedia that was their goal. However I don't think wikipedia has the most up to date numbers either.

Tourism in Algeria contributes only about 1 percent of Algeria's GDP.[1] Algeria's tourist industry lags behind that of its neighbors[2] Morocco and Tunisia. Algeria receives only about 200,000 tourists and visitors annually.[1] Ethnic Algerian French citizens represent the largest group of tourists, followed by Tunisians.[1] The modest level of tourism[3] is attributable to a combination of poor hotel accommodations, the threat of terrorism, and antiquated, soviet-style visa requirements.

So what index are you looking at? I'm really curious. I live in Europe and the main boulevards have all these travel agencies that have charter trips for Europeans all over the place advertised in their windows. I don't think I've ever seen Algeria as a destination. It would have been uber cheap and been an obvious one to spot. Places like Tunisia and Egypt are/were always on the board. Morocco. Algeria though?

 

[ichy]

I have a list of countries I will never visit under any circumstances barring sweeping political/cultural change. Algeria is on said list.

The entire continent of Africa is a write-off as far as I'm concerned. I will never go there again. There was a time when I wanted to go back to Egypt but as long the Islamists are in power there's no way in hell I'd visit.

 

[randomrogue]

Yeah a quick look shows that the travel Agencies that specialize in charter trips (those 1-2 week vacations that we take over here to Africa) don't even list Algeria. googling shows that the newspapers just says "Don't go to Algeria" with articles listed before this last crisis.

Maybe France. Let the French swell their numbers all they want.

There are great places to visit in Africa. I've been to many. Algeria though? lol no.

 

[ichy]

There are great places to visit in Africa.

Not anymore there aren't.

 

[ShintaiDK]

According to Wikipedia that was their goal. However I don't think wikipedia has the most up to date numbers either.



So what index are you looking at? I'm really curious. I live in Europe and the main boulevards have all these travel agencies that have charter trips for Europeans all over the place advertised in their windows. I don't think I've ever seen Algeria as a destination. It would have been uber cheap and been an obvious one to spot. Places like Tunisia and Egypt are/were always on the board. Morocco. Algeria though?

http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/algeria/international-tourism
http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=ALGERIA

Says 1912000 in 2009.
Tourist arrivals at national borders (000) 2009 1912 Visitors. Includes nationals residing abroad.

 

[randomrogue]

Not anymore there aren't.

Uganda? South Africa? Mozambique? Tanzania? Morocco? Namibia? Botswana? Malawi? Madagascar? Ghana? I guess I could open a map and keep going.

I don't know what to tell you but there are plenty of places to go. Unfortunately there's always some shit going on so while I would love to go to Egypt soon it isn't going to happen for a while. Risk vs reward.

 

[randomrogue]

http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/algeria/international-tourism
http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=ALGERIA

Says 1912000 in 2009.
Tourist arrivals at national borders (000) 2009 1912 Visitors. Includes nationals residing abroad.

Thanks for the link. I'm not sure how to account for any of that. I suppose that they can't separate tourists from nationals residing abroad doesn't help.

Shame really. Those numbers will probably plummet.

 

[ichy]

Uganda? South Africa? Mozambique? Tanzania? Morocco? Namibia? Botswana? Malawi? Madagascar? Ghana? I guess I could open a map and keep going.

I don't know what to tell you but there are plenty of places to go. Unfortunately there's always some shit going on so while I would love to go to Egypt soon it isn't going to happen for a while. Risk vs reward.

South Africa? Yeah right, the country's national pastimes are rape, homicide and transmitting HIV. My parents lived in Cape Town for three years and while the natural beauty is absolutely stunning society has just broken down over there. Everyone with any money lives behind bars and razor wire fences.

I've visited Madagascar, it's a poverty-ridden filthy shithole. Getting a reminder of what third-world decrepitude really looks like convinced me not to take the Foreign Service exam again. If I had to live in a place like Antananarivo for several years I'd become clinically depressed.

 

[randomrogue]

Cape Town is a great example. I spent quite a bit of time there and have friends who live there. The crime is mostly confined to the townships though. Of course if you have money you have a home with security. Nobody is going to live in a place like Hout Bay or Green Point without some kind of security.

Sorry but I hitchhiked in South Africa. The people are great. The country was great. Obviously as a single woman you shouldn't walk through a township alone at night but the same could be said for south central Los Angeles. For those of you who don't know what a township is it's basically like the movie District 9. It's godawful and you don't go in there on purpose.

If all you're looking for is a first world country though then you aren't going to find much of that in Africa. I don't go there to see what I have at home.

 

[Slew Foot]

lol algeria. did you really expect anything different?

 

[herm0016]

I can't imagine any of those people being tourists. Nobody goes to Algeria for tourism. They chose to be there for work.

As someone who could work in places like that, Does that make them disposable to you or something?

and these people were working at a natural gas facility.

 

[randomrogue]

Irish mentioned that he had a list of countries he wouldn't "visit".

When you work in places like Algeria your employer probably has some form of insurance on you. K&R for example. You're going to have something for Kidnapping, Ransom, Murder, and/or Extortion. Your coverage will depend on where you are and what your position is. You'll have a contract, be paid extra money, and know the risks.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Seems like 650 hostages have been rescued when I watched the news in TV. And something like 60 hostages left. Around 100 of the 132 foreign hostages have been rescued.

 

[Yreka]

It's our fault.. They just saw Argo and got pumped up for some action.