The militant group also claimed responsibility for downing a Russian airliner over Egypt three weeks ago, killing all 224 people aboard. French special forces were also involved.
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The attack appears to have had an immediate effect on the country’s tourism industry with one major hotel saying it had received numerous cancellations, and that restaurant and business centre reservations were down.
The palatial, 190-room Radisson, regarded as one of West Africa’s best hotels, attracts entrepreneurs, tourists and government officials from across the world with its luxury spa, outdoor pool and conference suites.
At least three Chinese nationals are also known to have died in the attack, which has been condemned by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“After the flight, 12 airline employees were having a pre-flight rest at the Radisson Blue hotel which was attacked by militants at 7.00 a.m. local time on November 20”, the company said. Among the victims were two from Belgium, three from China, six from Russian Federation, one from Israel, and one from the United States.
France’s Defense Minister Le Drian said he was not aware of any French nationals killed. The hotel’s head of security said two private security guards had been injured in the early stages of the attack, which began at 7 a.m. (0200 ET). The group’s statement said attacks would continue until the government ended its “aggression against our people in the north and the center of Mali”.
“The search has started and I can tell you that we are looking for more than three people at the moment”, the country’s military commander Maj.
“We are following several lines, but we won’t be making a statement”, the police source told reporters.
Some people were freed by the attackers after showing they could recite verses from the Koran, while others managed to escape or were brought out by security forces.
Guinean singer Sekouba Bambino Diabate, who was among the survivors says the gunmen spoke English among themselves. At least 27 people were reported dead by the end of the day-long siege.
Former colonial power France is assisting with the probe and has sent in a team of elite investigators to assist.
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Mali had been considered a beacon of African democracy and western counterterrorism for several years, until the Tuareg rebels took control of northern Mali in 2012. A military intervention led by French forces the following year drove extremists from cities and towns, weakening their stronghold but causing them to scatter.
