Members of special forces are seen inside the Radisson Blu hotel in
Bamako on November 20, 2015, after the assault of security forces. PHOTO
| AFP
Officials say suspected Islamist gunmen who stormed a hotel in Mali's capital, Bamako, have "no more hostages".
The Radisson Blu Hotel was stormed by special forces after
gunmen entered it and seized 170 people. At least 30 of the hostages are
known to have escaped.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and its offshoot al-Murabitoun
said they carried out the attack, according to an agency used by
jihadists in the region.
At least 18 people have died and two soldiers wounded.
One of those killed was Geoffrey Dieudonne, a member of parliament in Belgium's Wallonia region.
A journalist in the lobby of the hotel told the BBC that hostages were leaving the hotel. It is not clear how many survived.
The US-owned hotel is popular with foreign businesses and airline crews.
Eyewitnesses said the gunmen had entered the hotel shooting and shouting "God is great!" in Arabic.
Before special forces stormed the building, a security source
told Reuters that some hostages who were able to recite verses of the
Koran were being freed.
Mali's presidency has tweeted (in French) thanking the security
forces and friendly countries for their support in responding to the
attacks.
US special forces had helped in the hostage rescue operation. French special forces were also dispatched to the scene.
Malian security forces have been working their way up the building to where the gunmen were reportedly entrenched.
There is as yet no established link with the attacks in Paris one week ago that killed 130 people.
In August, suspected Islamist gunmen killed 13 people, including
five UN workers, during a hostage siege at a hotel in the central
Malian town of Sevare.
France, the former colonial power in Mali, intervened in the
country in January 2013 when al-Qaeda-linked militants threatened to
march on Bamako after taking control of the north of the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment