Quote:
Gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital on Friday with 170 guests and staff, killing at least three people and taking hostages in a city that serves as a logistics hub for French and American forces helping fight Islamist insurgents.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the identities or affiliation of the assailants was not clear. But Mali has faced repeated attacks from militants affiliated with al-Qaeda and other factions.
Security forces conducted room-by-room searches amid sporadic gunfire, news reports said. U.S. military units and French commandos were dispatched to the scene.
At least 80 captives managed to escape or were released by the attackers hours after the standoff begun, state TV reported in Mali. Some of those were reportedly freed after being able to recite the Muslim profession of faith.
But the hotel operators said more than 135 people — including 125 guests — were believed held. The reason for the discrepancy in the counts was not immediately clear.
Malian army commander Modibo Nama Traore said gunmen stormed the hotel
shouting “Allahu Akbar” —“God is great” in Arabic — and then fired on the guards and began taking hostages, the Associated Press reported
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...811_story.html