A former US deputy defence minister, an ex-director of theCIA and a former director of the UK’s Counter Terrorism unit are to be involvedin compiling the report which Statoil has vowed to make public.

Dozens of foreign workers and Algerian staff were killedwhen armed militants stormed the gas facility at In Amenas in mid January,leading to a four-day-long siege which only ended after much bloodshed.