Bitcoin Forum

African jihadi group claims responsibility for attack in which 170 people were taken hostage, a week after Paris atrocity

A terror attack at a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital has left at least 21 people dead, including two militants, and highlighted the world’s growing vulnerability to extremist violence.

Less than a week after the Paris gun and suicide bomb attacks in which 130 people were killed, a group of heavily armed and seemingly well-trained gunmen stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako.

They drove unchallenged into an inner compound, detonated grenades, opened fire at security guards and then took hostage about 170 people –among them diplomats, a celebrated Guinean singer and air crew from France and Turkey, as well as Indian and Chinese nationals. Three Chinese, one American and one Belgian were among the dead.

The president of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Këita, speaking on national television late on Friday evening, declared a national state of emergency effective from midnight. As well as the 19 people and two Islamist militants killed, he said seven people had been wounded in the attack.

The siege was the latest in a string of recent high-profile terror attacks, from bombings in Beirut and the downing of a Russian airline over the Sinai desert to the events in Paris.

By late Friday night Malian special forces assisted by counterparts from the US and France had fought their way through the hotel floor by floor, reportedly killing at least two of the gunmen. A security source in Mali said the incident was over by the early evening. At least 30 people escaped during the siege. “The attackers no longer have hostages,” said a security ministry spokesman, Amadou Sanghou.

A military official said the gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” as they began the attack. Al-Mourabitoun, an African jihadi group affiliated with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility in a message posted on Twitter.

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/20/mali-attack-highlights-global-spread-extremist-violence

Hi,

This is terrible news. These violent radicals are really getting out of hand.  I hope something major happens to destroy them

Thanks

First Paris and now Mali, where next?

These events are most definitely unsettling. The scary thing about these attacks are that they are not about taking hostages and to make a point but rather to inflict as much death and destruction as possible. So your chances of being killed in such an attack is pretty high, not like say a bank that is robbed and where your chances of walking away from it is very good. When caught in these kind of attacks you are almost guaranteed to become a casualty.

The other unsettling fact is that westerners, in general, are being targeted so you essentially have to try and stay away from all places frequented by westerners. Think my next holiday will be in Antarctica.

Both Europe and Africa are under attack. Throughout human history there has always
been the impulse for conquest through mass murder. In the past countries have called
some of these people heroes: Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, etc.
It is time for the civilized world to unite against such behavior.

Reading this kind of news is difficult to handle the emotions that come along with it, the most prevalent not being shock or horror, but anger! How many #$%$ times does this need to happen? You can't negotiate with these people, you can't flatter or bribe them. The only option is force for it's the only thing they understand!

well done Mali, no negotiation or allowing the situation to turn into anything, just storm the place. yes it endangers hostages, that said, extremists have 0 compunction against killing hostages. they aren't even overly concerned about living themselves. confronted by that set of facts there is no point in negotiations, especially as it reinforces the idea that hostage-taking works (unfortunately, people DO pay so it's already reinforced)

www.thereligionofpeace.com

I suggest everyone to learn couple of verses from quran to survive in this kind of situation.
It may really help. These radicals are everywhere and all crowded places are dangerous nowadays.

That's not a bad idea.  Even the most radical atheist could find verses some he agreed with.

I just told this to my friends, but this is not usual amongst terrorists.

Actually there was an attack on Beirut one day before paris.

Hi

This is very bad news, but to be honest i am not that surprised. Violent radical islam is causing immense issue in many places.

Thanks