Hostage saga as gunmen storm hotel in Malian capital

BAMAKO, Mali Malian security forces have stormed the Radisson Blu Hotel in the Malian capital Bamako where gunmen took 170 hostages, including Turkish Airlines crew, Malian security officials said Friday. Commander Modibo Traore Naman, spokesman of the General Directorate of State Security in Mali (DGSE), told Mali's national radio that at least 10 heavily-armed men attacked the hotel. At least four people, including two security guards were reportedly killed when attackers stormed the hotel, which is popular with foreigners and UN staff, at around 8.30 a.m. local time (0830GMT), local security sources said. However, Malian officials are yet to release an official death toll in the ongoing incident. The gunmen reportedly set free 50 hostages, who were able to recite verses from the Quran, a local security source told Anadolu Agency. The Al-Mourabitoun militant group, which is said to have ties with Al Qaeda, is reportedly behind the attack, according to eyewitnesses. However, the group has so far not released any statement to claim the attack. Earlier, the Rezidor Hotel Group, operator of the Radisson Blu Hotel, said in a statement: "Two persons have locked in 140 guests and 30 employees. Our safety and security teams and our corporate team are in constant contact with local authorities". A Turkish diplomatic source earlier told Anadolu Agency that six Turkish Airlines crew were among the hostages. The Turkish Airlines later said that five out of the six were safely released. Chinese diplomatic sources in Mali also told Anadolu Agency that at least seven Chinese nationals were among the hostages. According to eye-witnesses, hostage takers arrived at the hotel in a stolen car with diplomatic number plates. The gunmen opened fire immediately, killing the guards and injuring several other people. Automatic gunfire and at least one explosion were heard coming from the 190-room Radisson Blu hotel in the city’s northwestern Hamdallaye neighborhood. “The security forces are trying to dislodge [the attackers] and an exchange of fire can still be heard,” a security official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity. Gunfire could be heard reverberating around the district throughout the morning as security forces established a cordon. The U.S. embassy instructed its staff to seek shelter via its official Twitter account. In August, 13 people, including four UN workers, were killed in an attack on a hotel in the town Sevare, around 600 kilometers (370 miles) north of Bamako. In recent years Mali has been hit by a number of attacks launched by insurgents operating from its northern desert territory. In 2013, a French-led military operation succeeded in driving fighters out of cities and towns seized a year earlier in the north of the country. France still has troops based in the west African country. http://www.aa.com.tr/en