GUNMEN have attacked a Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali, taking as many as 170 people hostage. There were conflicting reports about how many gunmen were involved in the attack. Some sources said as many as ten took part. The owners of the hotel said there were two attackers.
The attack took place just after 7.10am, when gunmen shot their way past guards into the hotel and then sealed themselves in, taking some 140 guests and 30 members of staff hostage. Security forces launched a counter-assault within a few hours amid reports that the gunmen were moving from floor to floor, shooting guests. French special forces are believed to be on the scene and assisting in the counter-assault. France has about 1,000 soldiers in the country as part of a force of about 3,000 in the region. It was not clear whether there were any links to the terrorist attacks on Paris on November 13th. France led a military...Continue reading
Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1Ng3g5M
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