Transaction in Own Shares

Anglo American PLC
17 October 2006


             Anglo American plc ("Anglo American" or the "Company")
                  Purchases of Ordinary Shares in the Company

Following the increase in the buyback programme of US$4 billion announced in the
interim results announcement of Friday  4 August 2006 and pursuant to the
authority granted by shareholders at the Annual General Meeting held on 25 April
2006, Anglo American plc purchased 450,000 of its ordinary shares on 16 October
2006 at prices between £24.20 and  £24.47 per share. The purchased shares will
all be held as treasury shares.

Anglo American plc currently holds 28,142,396 ordinary shares in treasury, and
has 1,513,511,211 ordinary shares in  issue (excluding treasury shares) and the
independent companies referred to in the announcement of 2 October 2006 and  in
the announcement of 23 March 2006 together hold 29,127,464 ordinary shares,
representing 1.92 per cent of Anglo  American plc's ordinary shares in issue
(excluding treasury shares).

Andy Hodges
Deputy Company Secretary
Anglo American plc
17 October 2006




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