UPDATE: UN official: At least 27 dead in hotel attack
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A U.N. official says initial reports from the field indicate that 27 people were killed in the attack on the Radisson hotel in Mali’s capital.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the operation is still ongoing, said 12 bodies were found in the basement and 15 bodies were found on the second floor. The official stressed that the building had yet to be totally cleared.
Another U.N. official, U.N. Mali mission spokesman Olivier Salgado, said two extremists have been killed and that forces are going from room to room, checking for more casualties.
7:40 a.m. – BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The company that runs the Radisson Blu Hotel in Mali’s capital says assailants have taken 170 hostages in a brazen assault involving grenades. The Brussels-based Rezidor Hotel group initially said the assailants “locked in” 140 guests and 30 employees. The U.S. and French embassies asked their citizens to take shelter where they are in Bamako.
Malian state TV says 80 people who were in the hotel in Bamako when the assault began have now been freed. The special forces were continuing their operation to end the standoff.
A Malian army commander says 10 gunmen stormed the hotel this morning shouting “Allahu Akbar” or “God is great” in Arabic before firing on the guards and taking hostages. Malian troops reacted quickly. As people ran for their lives near the hotel along a dirt road, the soldiers in full combat gear pointed the way to safety. Within hours, local TV images showed heavily armed troops in what appeared to be a lobby area.
Following a military coup in 2012, Islamic extremists took control of northern Mali, prompting a French-led military intervention in early 2013. The extremists were scattered from northern towns and cities, though the north remains insecure and militant attacks have extended south this year.
President Barack Obama says he’s monitoring the situation playing out in Mali. Obama made the brief comment about hotel attack after a meeting in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. He didn’t offer any additional details.
The White House says Obama was briefed about the attack by his national security adviser, Susan Rice. White House officials say Obama has asked to be kept updated about new developments.