6 Britons believed killed in Algeria
2013-01-21 15:18
London - Prime Minister David Cameron said Sunday that six
Britons and one British resident were thought to have been killed in the
Algerian hostage crisis, which he said was a "stark reminder" of the
threat of global terrorism.
"Tragically, we now know that three British nationals
have been killed, and a further three are believed to be dead. And also a
further British resident is also believed to be dead," he said in a
statement.
"I know the whole country will want to join me in
sending our sympathies and condolences to the families who have undergone an
absolutely dreadful ordeal, and now face life without these very precious loved
ones."
The Foreign Office later named one of the British men killed
as Paul Morgan, 46.
"Paul was a true gentleman, a family man, he very much
loved his partner Emma, his mum, brothers and sister, of whom he was very proud,"
said the statement, issued on behalf of his 65-year-old mother, Marianne, and
his 36-year-old partner, Emma Steele.
"He loved life and lived it to the full. He was a
professional man proud to do the job he did and died doing the job he loved.
"We are so proud of him and so proud of what he
achieved in his life. We are devastated by Paul's death and he will be truly
missed," it added.
The Daily Telegraph on Monday identified two of the other
men as 59-year-old Kenneth Whiteside from Fife, Scotland, and Garry Barlow, 49,
from Liverpool.
It also reported that Carlos Estrada, a Colombian executive
for BP who lived in west London, had died in the attack.
Vicious and cowardly attack
Cameron stressed that responsibility "lies squarely
with the terrorists who launched this vicious and cowardly attack", and
said he would put the issue of global terrorism at the top of the agenda of
this year's G8 summit.
He also refused to criticise Algeria, saying the attack on
the In Amenas gas complex had been an "extremely difficult" situation
to deal with.
The priority now is to bring everyone involved in the
incident home, the prime minister said.
Separately, Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed that
22 British nationals survived the attack and were now back in Britain.
Cameron said: "People will ask questions about the
Algerian response to these events, but I would just say that the responsibility
for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched this vicious
and cowardly attack.
"And I would also say that when you're dealing with a
terrorist incident on this scale, with up to 30 terrorists, it is extremely
difficult to respond and to get this right in every respect."
Cameron said the threat in north Africa was from "an
extremist Islamist violent al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group", which he
likened to militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"It is similar because it is linked to al-Qaeda, it
wants to destroy our way of life, it believes in killing as many people as it
can," Cameron said.
He added: "This is a stark reminder, once again, of the
threat we face from terrorism the world over."
And he said: "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.
"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."
