ALGERIA: German authorities say they are hopeful that 15 European hostages held in the Sahara Desert by suspected Islamic militants will be released soon after Algerian commandoes freed 17 hostages on Tuesday.
The freed hostages, 10 Austrians, six Germans and a Swede, were reported to be in good health despite spending the last two months in captivity in the desert.
Mr Otto Schily, the German Interior Minister, said he was hopeful that the remaining hostages, 10 German, four Swiss and one Dutch, will be "free soon".
But he declined to give any further information, calling the situation "highly precarious".
"We remain highly concerned about those still in the hands of the hostage-takers and are concentrating on getting them free," said a spokesman for the German government to reporters.
Algerian authorities said the tourists were held hostage by an outlawed militant Islamic group, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC).
The group, one of two Algerian groups fighting for the establishment of an Islamist state, is on the US State Department list of terrorist organisations and is believed to have al-Qaeda links.
"After a brief assault against the terrorists ... the group of 17 detained tourists ... were freed healthy and unharmed," said the Algerian government in a statement yesterday morning.
"Intense searches are still taking place in southern Algeria to find and free the foreign tourists held by a second terrorist group," the Interior Ministry said. But a military source said the search in tough terrain may not yet have begun.
The newspaper El Watan, citing security sources, said the shootout on Tuesday lasted several hours and involved 100 special forces troops. The desert rescue happened nearly 2,000 km south of Algiers, after a gun battle that left between nine and 14 of the hostage-takers dead.
The six Germans and the Swede, a long-time resident in Germany, arrived at Cologne airport yesterday evening.
"Considering the circumstances the German hostages are in a good state," said Mr Walter Linder, spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry.
The 10 Austrian tourists departed for Salzburg yesterday afternoon.
News of the release of the Austrian hostages was welcomed in Vienna.
"I am relieved and grateful that this difficult situation was handled well," said Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, adding that his thoughts were with the relatives of the hostages yet to be freed. "I wish them courage and confidence in these difficult hours."
Mr Thomas Klestil, the Austrian President, sent a telegram of thanks to his Algerian counterpart, praising the "prudent manner" of the Algerian com-mandoes who freed the hostages.
A Swiss government spokesman said news of the release of the first group of hostages could endanger the lives of the remaining hostages.
Six groups of tourists vanished from mid-February to early March while travelling through the remote desert region in southern Algeria.
Diplomats said they were worried about 10 Germans, four Swiss and one Dutchman still believed held by the GSPC near the southern Tuareg city Illizi, some 1,200 km (750 miles) south of the capital Algiers.
"The tourists were freed by force, which means the outlook for the rest isn't good," one diplomat said.
"The forces will have had to act quickly to free them."
