BAMAKO (MALI): Armed Islamic extremists today stormed a deluxe hotel here locking in 170 people, killing at least 18 of them, while 20 captured Indians were evacuated without any harm.
Nine hours after the siege of the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital town by extremists in a hail of fire from automatic guns, security minister Salif Traore announced the end of the hostage crisis after two gunmen were killed by security forces.
“They currently have no more hostages in their hands and forces are in the process of tracking them down,” security minister Salif Traore told a news conference following the stand-off.
“Eighteen bodies were found,” a foreign security source told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that French special forces from neighbouring Burkina Faso were in the hotel and “participating in operations alongside Malians”.
The incident came a week after the deadly terror attack in Paris. Though there was no direct link between the two incidents, Mali has been at the centre of French military operations against Islamists in north Africa. (AGENCIES)
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