Britain, Algeria reach security deal

Britain and Algeria have agreed to a security partnership that could see greater intelligence-sharing and planning for future crises, UK Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday in the North African country.

Cameron's trip to Algeria - where he was accompanied by John Sawers, the head of Britain's international spy agency MI6 - followed the deadly Jan 16 attack on the In Amenas natural gas plant. That attack led to a four-day siege on the complex by Algerian forces. At least 37 hostages and 29 militants died.

At a news conference following talks with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmalek Sellal, Cameron stressed the importance of a "tough and intelligent" response to the growing threat from Islamist militants in the region.