Malian security forces were hunting “more than three” suspects after a brazen assault on a luxury hotel in the capital that killed 20 people plus two assailants, an army commander said Saturday.
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Three days of national mourning have been declared.
Meanwhile, at least 27 people were reported dead on Friday after Malian commandos stormed a hotel seized by extremist gunmen to rescue 170 people, many of them foreigners, trapped in the building, Al Arabiya reported.
Those killed in Friday’s attack include citizens of China, Russian Federation and America; when the hotel was attacked, it held visitors from 14 different countries, officials say. A few reporters say that they are affiliated to an Islamic Extremist Organisation while a few say that they are fluent in English.
Gunmen entered the 190-room hotel compound in Bamako at around 0700 GMT in a vehicle with diplomatic plates and automatic gunfire was heard from outside, security sources said.
Reports also suggested that no more hostages were left in the hotel after the attack by gunmen.
France has stationed around 3,000 troops in Africa’s Sahel region following a military intervention in Mali’s desert north, where a 2012 Tuareg rebellion was hijacked by militants linked to al-Qaeda.
President Barack Obama, speaking in Kuala Lumpur Saturday local time, said the government was still working to account for Americans who may have been staying at the hotel. These terrorists are a global threat that we need to attack globally, ” said lawmaker Amadou Thiam, a vice-president of Mali’s parliament.
Hong said China strongly condemns the attack at the hotel in Bamako and sent deep condolences to the relatives of the victims.
The group, which is led by Moktar Belmoktar, said it wanted fighters freed from Mali’s prisons and for attacks against northern Malians to stop.
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The rescue operation by Malian special forces received support from MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, U.S. and French troops.
