Gunmen seize 170 hostages at Radisson hotel in Mali capital

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned Friday’s jihadist attack on a hotel in Mali that killed 21 people, including several from his country, the Kremlin and a foreign ministry spokeswoman said on Saturday.

On Friday, extremists attacked the Radisson hotel in the capital of Bamako taking hostage 170 people – 140 guests and 30 employees of the hotel.

Public health worker Anita Datar, a US national, also died in the attack.

Mali said more than 100 people were taken hostage in the raid, while at least three “terrorists” were killed or blew themselves up.

Two militants were also killed, after special forces stormed the hotel, freeing dozens of trapped guests.

All South Africans living in or visiting Mali were advised to register on the ROSA system and be in contact with the embassy, the department said.

President Keita said Mali would “do everything to eradicate terrorism” in the country.

Automatic weapons fire was heard outside the 190-room hotel in the city centre, with the ministry spokesman saying at least three hostages had been killed.

According to official statements, the victims included six Russians, three Chinese, two Belgians, an Israeli and a Senegalese national.

“This barbarity only stiffens our resolve to meet this challenge”, Obama said of the global terrorist threat. Witnesses said attackers began shooting people nearly as soon as they entered the Radisson, starting with a security guard at the entrance to the lobby.

Al-Mourabitoun, an al Qaeda-linked militant group in northern Mali, claimed responsibility for the hostage situation at the luxury hotel on social media Friday.

The Mali government and the worldwide community have made great efforts for the rescue operations yet the attackers showed a total disregard for human conscience and committed brutal and inhumane crimes, Hong said. While French forces pushed the militants out of most of those strongholds in 2013, the government is struggling to regain authority there.