Europeans Freed By Desert Raid

A commando raid by Algerian special forces has secured the release of 17 European tourists held captive in the Sahara by radical Islamists, but foreign governments said 15 others were left in danger.

"After a brief assault against the terrorists ... the group of 17 detained tourists were freed healthy and unharmed," the Algerian army yesterday said.

Ten Austrians, six Germans and a Swede were freed from the group of 32 tourists kidnapped in southern Algeria on March 17. The raid reversed Algeria's previous promise to negotiate their release.

It was unclear whether members of the German special forces who had been working with the Algerian army in recent weeks were involved in the attack, in which nine kidnappers were reported killed.

The German foreign minister, Joshka Fischer, was in Algiers the day before the raid, suggesting that he would have known about it.

But Germany joined Switzerland yesterday in saying that the remaining 15 missing tourists were still in danger. Its spokesman Thomas Steg said: "We remain highly concerned about those still in the hands of the hostage takers."

The Swiss, meanwhile, accused Austria of putting its nationals in danger by releasing news of the operation.

The original party included tourists from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden.

The hostages were freed on Tuesday during a pitched battle with about 10 hostage takers about 1,200 miles south of Algiers, the Algerian daily El Watan reported.

The army said the hostages were held by the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, which has links with al-Qaida. Salafist rejected the government's 1999 amnesty to groups fighting for an Islamist state.

Ten Germans, four Swiss and a Dutch person remain in the hands of the group, which is reported to have separated them from the others several weeks ago. Algerian newspapers suggested a similar raid would be made on those holding them.

The German interior minister, Otto Schily, said there was "hope" that they would soon be free.

The 17 released tourists were taken to Algiers for medical check-ups and were due to fly home last night.

The Austrian chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, said: "I am relieved and grateful that this difficult situation was handled well."

Erika Mantey, whose son Axel, 33, was freed, said at her Bavarian home: "I am so happy."

Mr Mantey's girlfriend Melanie Simon, 25, was reported to be among the released, together with Andreas Kiechlechner, 33, Michaela Joubert, 30, and Harald Ickler, 52, a Swede who lives in Germany.

A freed Austrians, Ingo Bleckmann, 60, was able to telephone his son overnight. Nikolaus Bleckmann said: "He said he was fine, and that he'd tell me everything when he gets home."

The party disappeared between the towns of Bordj Omar Driss and Tamanrasset while crossing the Sahara in sevens groups in four-wheel drives and on motorbikes, exploring an area near the borders of Libya, Niger and Malia renowned equally for its ancient grave sites and the presence of arms and drug smuggling gangs.

They had GPS satellite navigation systems but no local guides.

They were located after a blue Iveco truck belonging to a German couple was found burnt out near the town of Illizi several weeks ago. They were reported to be in the hands of a local religious leader known as Emir Ammari.

The Algerian army has been keen to show that it is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism. Washington lifted a 10-year ban on the sale of arms to Algeria in September.