London and Washington to send troops to exclude the Maghreb

British and American Ministers of Defence said they were determined to fight Saturday against the actions of Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb during a press conference devoted to the hostage crisis in Algeria, but they excluded send troops in the region.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and his British counterpart Philip Hammond have refused to criticize the management of the Algiers hostage on the site of gas In Aménas. It ended Saturday in the blood after a new intervention Algerian forces against the kidnappers, members of a group close to Al-Qaeda

Algerians "are in the area, they understand the terrorist threat certainly better than many other countries. I think it is important to continue to work with them to develop a regional approach," said U.S. Secretary of Defense , visiting London as part of a European tour.

This loss of life during the taking of hostages "are appalling and it must be clear that it is the terrorists who bear full responsibility," commented Philip Hammond for his part, stressed that "each country had different approaches. "

"We are determined to defeat terrorism and to be alongside the Algerian government," he added.

He launched a warning to "those behind the attack and must be fully convinced that the power of the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies will befall them and they will no place to hide. "


Mr. Panetta said for his part that since the September 11 attacks, the United States has promised to "hunt down Al-Qaeda everywhere and in all places where he tried to hide" and that would be the same North Africa.

"We absolutely can not we rest on our laurels or accept al-Qaeda are in one way or another and can create a base of operations somewhere in the world," he said.

The two men have both expressed their support for the French operation in Mali, where France fighting armed Islamist groups, but they were excluded from troops in the region.

"We do not plan to send troops on the ground," said Leon Panetta. "We have no plans to send British troops to Mali," added Philip Hammond.

They wanted to continue to work with countries in the region to defeat Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM, a group affiliated with Al-Qaeda).

"To combat this enemy, we must make sure to be as efficient as possible and that means working with countries in the region," said U.S. Secretary of Defense.

"Each country has its own discretion to deal with terrorism. What matters to me is that it does everything in its power to prevent AQIM establishes a base of operations in this area" , he added.