No group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.
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A senior member of the hotel’s security detail said two private security guards had been injured in the early stages of the attack, which began at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT).
The USA embassy in Bamako has tweeted that it “is aware of an ongoing active shooter operation at the Radisson Hotel”. While shouting, “God is Great!” the suspects took almost 170 residents and employees hostage.
Gunmen have taken 170 people hostage inside the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako. I think Bamako should’ve done more to protect hotels like this.
State television showed footage of troops in camouflage fatigues wielding AK-47s in the hotel lobby.
Over the past two weeks, an influx of attacks from Boko Haram and the Islamic State have taken over global waters in Paris and Lebanon.
Here’s a brief rundown of what you need to know about a hostage situation at a hotel in Mali, Africa that has made national headlines Friday? (Malikahere.com via AP) People run to flee from the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali, Friday, November 20, 2015. It is still unclear who is responsible for the attack in Mali, but the country has long struggled with insurrection and Islamist extremism.
The attacks are a slap in the face for France, which has stationed 3,500 troops in northern Mali to try and restore stability after a 2012 Tuareg rebellion that was later hijacked by al Qaida-linked militants.
Al-Shabaab, based in Somalia, is under pressure from an African Union force, which has been “disrupting” the group’s efforts to carry through on threats of attacks, Rodriguez said.
The US military’s Africa Command says the rescued hostages include six American citizens. “The president is following the situation closely”, a source close to French President Francois Hollande said.
The dead in Sevare included nine civilians, five of whom worked for the United Nations mission in Mali (MINUSMA), as well as four Malian soldiers and four militants.
The guests at the sprawling, cream-and-pink luxury hotel, which has 190 rooms and features a spa, outdoor pool and ballroom, came from many countries. But the attack was perceived by many in France, particularly in the government, as a new attack on French interests.
The raid on the hotel, which was popular with foreigners and used by airline crews, comes a week after attackers killed 129 people in Paris.
At least seven Chinese guests are among those held hostage, Chinese media reported.
According to witnesses, the police have surrounded the hotel and are blocking roads leading into the neighbourhood.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported that about 10 Chinese citizens sheltered inside their hotel rooms. The embassy was in phone contact with them and all were reported safe, according to the report.
The 20 Indians are employees of a Dubai-based company and were staying in the hotel on a permanent basis.
Twenty Indian nationals have been freed, according to this statement from a spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Twitter.
The United Nations mission sent security reinforcements and medical aid to the scene.
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Malian security sources said French special forces were “participating in operations alongside Malians”.
