At least 27 people have been reported dead in Mali after Islamist gunmen stormed a hotel this morning taking 150 people hostage.
The luxury hotel in the capital, Bamako, was seized at around 7am this morning when 170 people were inside.
Reuters: UN official says peacekeepers on scene at Radisson Blu Hotel in #Bamako in #Mali saw 27 bodies and search of hotel is continuing
— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) November 20, 2015
According to RTE, the jihadist group Al Mourabitoun, allied to al-Qaeda and based in the deserts of northern Mali, claimed responsibility for the attack on the former French colony in a tweet.
While French television station BFMTV have said that no more hostages are being held, a security ministry spokesman said the gunmen are believed to still be holding out against security forces in the hotel.
Spokesman Amadou Sangho said: “The attackers no longer have hostages. They are dug in the upper floors. They are alone with the Malian special forces who are trying to dislodge them.”
UN official said peacekeepers on the scene saw at least twenty seven bodies removed from the hotel.
They noted that this is a preliminary count as UN troops and Malian authorities continue to search the hotel.
According to the Minister of Internal Security, Colonel Salif Traor, the gunmen burst through the security barriers at 7am and opened fire shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, or ‘God is great’ in Arabic.
People were released by the attackers after showing they could recite passages from the Koran, while others managed to escape by themselves or with the help of security forces.
A rescued hostage, singer Skouba ‘Bambino’ Diabate, said he overheard the attackers speaking in English.
He said: “We heard shots coming from the reception area. I didn’t dare go out of my room because it felt like this wasn’t just simple pistols – these were shots from military weapons.”
“The attackers went into the room next to mine. I stayed still, hidden under the bed, not making a noise.
“I heard them say in English ‘Did you load it?’, ‘Let’s go’.”
Referring to France’s military intervention in Mali, an Islamic state militant in Syria told Reuters: “This is just the beginning. We also haven’t forgotten what happened in Mali.”
The Irish Defence Forces said ten Irish personnel currently in Mali are “safe and accounted for”.
