Varying reports suggested that a number of foreign hostages taken by Islamist militants in Algeria escaped on Thursday.

At least 20 gunmen attacked a natural gas complex in the Sahara desert early Wednesday in retaliation for France's military intervention against al-Qaida-linked rebels in neighboring Mali. The group claiming responsibility is known as both Katibat Moulathamine and the Masked Brigade.

The militants remain in a tense standoff with the Algerian military and first claimed that they had around 41 hostages, which included seven Americans.

The militants conducted a surprise attack on the Ain Amenas gas plant, 800 miles south of the capital of Algiers. The plant is the third largest facility in the oil-rich country.

Some of the supposedly free hostages are Europeans and Americans.

Reuters stated that fifteen hostages may have escaped and the news agency sourced reports from Algerian television.

The New York Times reported that at least four hostages were freed, according to a top Algerian official.

A BBC report stated that the actual number of escapees is unclear but that it could be around 30 to 40 Algerians and 15 to 25 foreigners.

Two people, one a Briton and the other Algerian, were killed in the initial assault.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated in a press conference on Wednesday that action is being taken to try and save the lives of the Americans taken by the terrorists.

"It is a very serious matter when Americans are taken hostage along with others," Panetta said, according to The Associated Press. "I want to assure the American people that the United States will take all necessary and proper steps that are required to deal with this situation."

In order to try and end the dispute, Algerian authorities are in talks with tribal Algerian Tuareg leaders, who are ethnically related to the rebels fighting the Mali government with links to al-Qaida.