ALGIERS, Algeria — Algeria’s state news agency says that special forces have completed their operation to free hostages from a remote desert natural gas complex.

The report gave no new toll for the number of dead among either the hostages or the kidnappers, who were described as a “multinational terrorist” group.

Earlier Algerian TV had said that four foreign workers, two Britons and two Filipinos, died in the operation.

Earlier on Thursday, the militants themselves said that dozens had died in the assault.

The Algerian government said it was forced to intervene due to the militants’ stubbornness and their desire to escape with the hostages. The communications minister said there were casualties in the military operation but gave no details.

“An important number of hostages were freed and an important number of terrorists were neutralized and we regret the few dead and wounded, but we don’t have numbers,” minister Mohand Said Oubelaid said on national radio earlier on Thursday.