Islamic extremists attack hotel in Mali’s capital

As many as 20 Indians are among the 170 guests and staff inside the luxury hotel which is under the seize of gunmen in Mali’s capital Bamako.

The situation began around 7 a.m.at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, when two or three attackers stormed the hotel, firing guns and initially taking about 170 people hostage, officials said.

According to the latest updates, gunmen were were still holding 125 guests and 13 employees hostage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel, according to the hotel chain. As many as 30 hostages have been freed, the Associated Press reported, citing Modibo Naman Traore, a military commander.

U.S. State Dept. spokesman John Kirby says Americans “might be present at the hotel”, and that the U.S. Embassy in Bamako is working to verify this.

Malian troops reacted quickly.

A military official has confirmed that three hostages have been killed, and are believed to be two Malian citizens and one French citizen. The assailants have reportedly entrenched themselves on the seventh floor of the hotel.

Witnesses also said they could hear automatic weapon fire outside the 190-room hotel.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls admitted yesterday that French authorities did not know how he had managed to get into the country, when he was under an global arrest warrant.

Within minutes of the assault, police and then soldiers had surrounded the hotel and were blocking roads leading into the neighborhood.

These nationals are employees of a Dubai-based company and were staying in the Radisson Blue hotel in Bamako permanently, he added. At least three deaths were reported.

Among the hostages are U.S., French and Chinese citizens, according to media reports.

The USA embassy instructed its staff to seek shelter via its official Twitter account. Two security guards were injured in the assault.

Separately, the French Defense Ministry says a unit of French soldiers has arrived in Bamako in support of Malian security forces.

“The Rezidor Hotel Group…is aware of the hostage-taking that is ongoing at the property today, 20th November 2015”, the company said in a statement.

Mali’s President has cut short a visit to Chad where he was attending a regional summit. Sahara-based Islamist militant group al-Mourabitoun has claimed responsibility for the siege in central Mali, Qatari-based television network Al Jazeera reported on Monday. On Friday, French President Francois Hollande showed his solidarity with the Malian people.

In March masked gunmen shot up a Bamako restaurant popular with foreigners, killing five people.

Following a military coup in 2012, Islamic extremists took control of northern Mali, prompting a French-led military intervention in early 2013 that forced the extremists from northern towns and cities, though the north remains insecure and militant attacks have extended farther south this year.