Special forces stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, capital of the western African nation Mali, and freed all the people taken hostage by two gunmen on Friday. A minister confirmed that all hostages have been evacuated and 18 bodies were recovered. The stand-off continued for several hours.
“Eighteen bodies were found,” media reports quoted a security source telling AFP on condition of anonymity. “They currently have no more hostages in their hands and forces are in the process of tracking them down,” security minister Salif Traore told a news conference. following the stand-off of several hours.
An African Jihadist group affiliated with al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Mourabitoun, a group based in northern Mali, claimed to be behind the attack. However, this could not be immediately verified.
The hostages included 20 Indian nationals who were working for a Dubai-based company and staying in the hotel permanently, as per Foreign ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup.