PARIS, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius defended on Sunday Algerian military decision to raid on the Islamists who kidnapped dozens of foreigners at a gas plant.
"What everyone needs to know is that these terrorists who attacked this gas plant are killers who pillage, rape, plunder and kill. The situation was unbearable," the minister said.
"It's easy to say that this or that should have been done. The Algerian authorities took a decision and the toll is very high but I am a bit bothered ... when the impression is given that the Algerians are open to question. They had to deal with terrorists," he told Europe 1 radio in an interview.
On Wednesday, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group claimed responsibility of kidnapping up to 41 foreign workers in Amenas gas facility in Algeria and that is operated by a joint venture including BP, Norwegian oil firm Statoil and Algerian state company Sonatrach.
According to Algerian government, local troops launched on Saturday the final assault to end the stand-off that left at least 23 hostages killed and 32 militants dead.
The North African country, scarred by a decade of civil war with Islamists in the 1990s that caused the death of 200,000 people, refused any talks with terrorists.
However, some Western governments criticized the north African country for heavy-handedness and not to be informed of its military plans.
As to France's top diplomat, "there is no impunity for terrorists. In face terrorism, there is a need to be unrelenting."
Seven nationals were still in hands of Islamist cells. They were held for French military commitment in Afghanistan and Mali.
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