Radisson Hotel in Bamako hit by terrorists...
Gunmen Kill at Least 3 Hostages in Attack on Hotel in Mali Capital
November 20, 2015 - Gunmen are believed to have taken as many as 170 guests and hotel workers hostage at Radisson in Bamako, with reports saying some hostages have been released after reciting verses from Quran
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Fourteen killed by two female suicide bombers in Nigeria
Fri, Nov 20, 2015 - Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at a mobile phone market in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 100, the nation’s emergency response agency said.
Gunmen Kill at Least 3 Hostages in Attack on Hotel in Mali Capital
November 20, 2015 - Gunmen are believed to have taken as many as 170 guests and hotel workers hostage at Radisson in Bamako, with reports saying some hostages have been released after reciting verses from Quran
Officials in Mali sid at least four gunmen who shouted Islamic phrases while overtaking a luxury hotel in the capital Friday have killed three of their 170 hostages. Authorities say about 20 hostages have been released, with some of them being taken away in ambulances. Earlier reports said the gunmen released hostages who were able to recite the Quran.
People run to flee from the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako, Mali
Officials said U.N. and Malian troops have surrounded the hotel. The roads leading to the hotel have been sealed off. Mali has urged its residents to stay where they are and not venture out during the hotel siege. Turkish Airlines said six of its personnel are trapped in the hotel. French, Nigerian and Chinese nationals are also among those being held hostage. Authorities said the gunmen rode up to the hotel in a vehicle with diplomatic license plates.
'Shelter in place'
The U.S. embassy in Mali said in a statement Friday: "The Embassy is aware of an ongoing active shooter operation at the Radisson Hotel." The embassy urged all U.S. citizens and the embassy staff to "shelter in place." A security source said the gunmen are on the seventh floor on the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako. "Jihadists are firing in the corridor," the source told AFP. U.S. President Barack Obama, who is attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Malaysia, has been briefed on the hostage situation in Mali and has asked his staff to keep him up-to-date on developments.
The attack in Mali underscores the threat posed by Islamist militants who remain active in northern and central Mali despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers. A French-led military force ousted Islamist groups from power in northern Mali in 2013. The groups had seized power in the north after a military coup in Bamako in 2012. An attack in the capital in March at a restaurant popular with tourists killed five people.
Gunmen Kill at Least 3 Hostages in Attack on Hotel in Mali Capital
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Fourteen killed by two female suicide bombers in Nigeria
Fri, Nov 20, 2015 - Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up at a mobile phone market in the northern Nigerian city of Kano on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 100, the nation’s emergency response agency said.
The explosions occurred around 4pm local time at the Farm Center phone market, near the center of Nigeria’s second biggest city, and come a day after a blast in the northeastern city of Yola killed 32 people and wounded 80 others. The attacks bear the hallmarks of Boko Haram, suggesting that the militant Muslim group, which has killed thousands over the last six years in its bid to create a state adhering to strict Shariah, or Islamic law, in the northeast, is stepping up its operations. “Over 100 people injured and 14 others lost their lives in today’s market bomb blast in Kano,” said Sani Datti, a spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency.
Suspected members of Boko Haram have killed more than 1,000 people since Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari took office in May. “President Buhari reassures Nigerians that his administration is very much determined to wipe out Boko Haram in Nigeria and bring all perpetrators of this heinous crime against humanity to justice,” said presidency spokesman Garba Shehu. He said Buhari urged vigilance to help ward off suicide terror attacks on “soft targets,” adding that Nigeria’s “reinvigorated, well-equipped and well-motivated armed forces and security agencies” would overcome Boko Haram very soon.
Since losing most of the territory they took over earlier this year to the Nigerian army, the militant group has focused attacks on markets, bus stations and places of worship, as well as hit-and-run attacks on villages. Suspected Boko Haram militants have carried out attacks in neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon in recent weeks but until Tuesday had not struck northeastern Nigeria since late last month. In Washington, the US State Department condemned “horrific” bombings in the northern towns of Yola and Kano in recent days and said the US was committed to working with Nigeria and its neighbors to defeat Boko Haram. “We denounce the callous terrorist acts,” spokesman John Kirby said, adding: “Those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable.”
Fourteen killed by two female suicide bombers in Nigeria - Taipei Times