While the hostage situation in Algeria remains fluid, no matter what the final casualty toll is of those captured and their captors, the attack illustrates the steep price people not directly involved in a conflict must sometimes pay. No sooner had France intervened in Mali to squash a determined push by Al-Qaeda militants than the terrorists showed that they too had transnational reach, kidnapping hundreds of hostages in a desert gas complex in Algeria. What ensued was the release of hundreds of hostages, but not before the armed assault to try to free them left dozens dead and the fate of many more uncertain. What is certain is that the attack was a reprisal for French intervention in Mali last week against Al-Qaeda-linked rebels. What is also sure is the reason for the incursion: A multinational Islamist insurgency across the Sahara. French President Francois Hollande launched the surprise operation in Mali, a former French colony in West Africa, hoping to stop the Al-Qaeda-linked and other Islamist extremists whom he believes threaten the world and France in particular. France had taken the lead in pushing for intervention in Mali, drafting a Security Council resolution authorizing a regional African force to retake rebel-held territory, which was unanimously passed last October. But France which also has strong commercial links in the region decided, at least in the beginning, to go it alone. Perhaps, too, the venue of the attack should have been anticipated. It should be no surprise that Algeria was targeted by the rebels. Mali and Algeria border each other, while Algeria and France have a relationship of colonialism and a bloody war for independence that ultimately made Algeria free. For the moment, Bamako is safe after jihadists suddenly pushed south earlier this year, threatening the capital. But Hollande has a daunting task. The rebels may number only around 2,000 but they have money from the ransoms paid for kidnapped Europeans, and they have weapons captured from Malian bases they overran or smuggled from Libya after Muammar Gaddafi fell. Some are veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Most know the desert far better than the French forces or those to be sent from West African countries. So although Hollande's action has halted them, the conflict is far from over. The rebel demand that France end its intervention in Mali to ensure the safety of the hostages was correctly rejected by Algeria; negotiating with terrorists is not an option. And, of course, France cannot back down now; its efforts to beat back the jihadists in Mali will continue. But further kidnappings could well be on the horizon. The Algerian assault is probably not a one-off event. There could be other attempts in Africa or elsewhere. The rebels might want a ransom or might use hostages for propaganda purposes. The Algerian hostage crisis is comparable in scale to only a few in recent decades. Hostages from at least 10 countries were taken in Algeria, underlining the reach of terrorism. A breeding ground for terrorists in one country is linked bloodily to a remote gas plant on the stony plains of the Sahara in another.
