China’s President Xi Jinping on Saturday “strongly condemned” the attack by armed jihadists on a hotel in Mali which left three Chinese nationals dead, according to a government statement, among at least 21 killed.
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Jihadist group al-Mourabitoun says it is behind the attacks, and that it conducted the operation along with another al-Qaida affiliate, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, according to government officials and the jihadist monitor SITE Intelligence.
The foreign victims included Russian, Chinese, Belgian, an American and a Senegalese nationals. At least 20 people were killed and the remaining hostages were freed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his condolences to Mali over the attack, as a security source revealed a few suspects were still at large.
The United Nations force in Mali took over responsibility for security in the country from French and African troops in July 2013, after the main towns in the north had been recaptured from the militants.
Security forces conducted room-by-room searches amid sporadic gunfire, news reports said.
The bloody hostage-taking in Bamako came a week after 130 people died in the devastating terrorist attacks in Paris claimed by the “Islamic State” (IS) militants.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led worldwide condemnation of the “horrific terrorist attack” suggesting the violence was aimed at destroying peace efforts in the country.
The hotel is popular with airline staff, western tourists and local dignitaries and the hotel group’s president Wolfgang Neumann said: “We are devastated at what has happened at Bamako today”.
The name of the Israeli that was killed in the Mali terror attack Friday was released for publication by the Foreign Ministry Saturday.
France’s defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Belmokhtar, one of the world’s most-wanted men, was indeed “likely” the brains behind the assault.
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Traore said at least 10 gunmen are believed to have stormed the hotel early on November 20 shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) with guns and grenades.
