Gunmen killed four guests at a Mali luxury resort popular with Western expatriates just outside the capital Bamako, authorities said on Monday, and one other guest is still missing, APA reports quoting Reuters.
The assailants stormed the hotel on Sunday afternoon, opening fire on guests and exchanging fire with security forces deployed to try to free those trapped inside.
One of the dead from Sunday's attack was a Portuguese soldier working with the European Union (EU) military training mission, Portugal's Armed Forces and EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini confirmed.
Mali's security ministry had earlier identified one of the victims as French-Gabonese. A security source said a third victim was Cameroonian and that the fourth had yet to be identified. France's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the missing person was a French national.
Although the attackers succeeded in mounting a lethal attack, security forces backed by French and U.N. troops managed to rescue 36 residents including 13 French citizens.
Security Minister Salif Traore told Radio France International on Monday that "five terrorists were killed" in operations that continued throughout the night.
"This was without doubt a terrorist attack," he told the radio station.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
