Three people have been confirmed dead, including two from Mali and one from France, while a further six have also reportedly been killed. White House officials say Obama has asked to be kept updated about new developments.
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The Radisson Blu is home to a multi-national clientele – Chinese, Indians, Turks among them.
Turkish Airlines said at least seven of its employees were staying at the hotel Friday.
The siege comes days after Paris attacks, in which Islamic State militants killed 129 people. It is not known if they are linked in any way.
“Unconfirmed reports say French troops have surrounded the hotel”.
An extremist group that two years ago split from al-Qaida’s North Africa branch and led by Moktar Belmoktar claimed responsibility for the attack, in a recorded statement carried by Al-Jazeera. The Brussels-based Rezidor Hotel group that operates the hotel said the assailants have “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees.
“I noticed that when they knew you, they didn’t (use the metal detector) any more”.
A security official told the Reuters news agency that initially a few of the hostages had been freed after apparently proving their Muslim faith by reciting verses from the Koran.
But a United Nations official said United Nations peacekeepers on the scene had seen 27 bodies in a preliminary count, and that a search of hotel was continuing. “But we shall make one soon”, the diplomat told The Hindu.
The chain has said it was working to establish the names and nationalities of those taken.
Security sources said the gunmen were jihadists who had entered the hotel compound at around 0700 GMT in a auto that had diplomatic plates.
A Belgian member of Parliament Geoffrey Dieudonné was among those killed during the incident in Mali’s capital city of Bamako, Belgium’s regional Parliament said. Private U.S. citizens are encouraged to contact their family. “USA citizens should adhere to the instructions of local authorities and monitor local media”.
Men shouting “God is great” and armed with guns and throwing grenades stormed into the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital Friday morning.
The French military operation in Mali in 2013 against Islamic extremists who were holding the northern half of the country was the first of several foreign interventions that President Francois Hollande has launched as president.
Operation Barkhane is a French anti-terror operation which began in August 2014 and involves a 3,000 strong French force.
Special forces teams have been moving through the hotel floor by floor, freeing hostages.
“The raid has started and we will use all the means available to us on the ground to free the hostages”, Hollande said ahead of a speech he was giving on climate change talks.
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Malian troops take position outside the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako on November 20, 2015.
