Up to 27 dead in Mali hotel siege; one American slain

Soumaila Diarra and Doug Stanglin | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Mali attack claimed by Al Qaeda group An al Qaeda-linked extremist group has claimed responsibility for the deadly hotel attack in Mali's capital on Friday. The attack killed at least 21 people, including one American.

BAMAKO, Mali — Malian security forces, aided by U.S. and French special forces, ended a 7-hour siege Friday at a Radisson Blu hotel Friday that left up to 27 hostages and two extremists dead, according to a U.N. official.

The U.S. Department of State confirmed that an American citizen is among those who were killed. The Washington Post identified the woman as Anita Datar, a 41-year-old international development worker from Takoma Park, Md.

Al-Mourabitoun, an al-Qaeda-linked group based in northern Mali, posted a message on Twitter saying it was behind the attack, according to Reuters. The claim could not immediately be verified.

A U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because a search operation was continuing, said 12 bodies were found in the basement and 15 bodies were found on the second floor, according to the Associated Press. The official stressed that the building had yet to be totally cleared.

France's defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, however, said 18 people were dead at the hotel along with one Malian soldier killed in the fighting. It wasn't immediately clear if the hotel dead included the gunmen. Officials cautioned that the casualty count could change as they completed a thorough search of the building.

Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that U.S. authorities are trying to account for American citizens in the region.

"In the days ahead we stand ready to provide support the Malian government in the investigation. All those responsible for these recurring terrorist attacks must be held accountable," Kerry said. "Mali is an important regional partner to the United States, and we stand with the Malian people. These terrorist attacks will only deepen our shared resolve to fight terrorism."

U.N. Mali mission spokesman Olivier Salgado, said two militants were killed and forces were going from room to room, checking for more casualties.

Saldago said the assault began around 7 a.m. when at least two — and perhaps three gunmen — armed with AK-47 rifles, drove up in a vehicle bearing diplomatic plates, which helped them get by normal security checks on the grounds. The hotel was hosting a diplomatic meeting at the time.

They began firing their weapons and rushed into the hotel, he said.

Mali's Security Minister Salif Traore said special forces had gone "floor by floor" to free the hostages, many of whom were barricaded in their rooms in the luxury hotel, a popular meeting spot for foreigners.

Security ministry spokesman Amadou Sangho said some gunmen were holding out on the top floors long after the hostages were freed, according to Reuters. "The attackers no longer have hostages," Sangho said. "They are dug in on the upper floors. They are alone with the Malian special forces who are trying to dislodge them."

U.S. military steps in to help free Mali hostages A spokesman for U.S. Africa Command told NBC News U.S. military personnel are assisting with the rescue of more than 150 hostages at a hotel in the former French colony of Mali. Lt. Anthony Falvo said U.S. forces have helped to secure civilians

U.S. special forces troops assisted Malian forces in rescue efforts, said Col. Mark Cheadle of the U.S. Army's Africa Command. A U.S. military official said at least six Americans were evacuated from the hotel, according to the AP.

The U.S. Embassy in Mali, in a statement on Facebook, said it was lifting its shelter-in-place guidelines, but urged U.S. citizens to "minimize movement around Bamako and be vigilant of their surroundings."

One of the hostages who was rescued, noted Guinean singer Sékouba "Bambino" Diabate, told Reuters he overheard two of the assailants speaking in English as they searched the room next to his. "We heard shots coming from the reception area. I didn't dare go out of my room because it felt like this wasn't just simple pistols — these were shots from military weapons," he said.

Citing Chinese diplomats in Mali, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported about 10 Chinese citizens had been sheltering inside their rooms, AP reported. All are employees of Chinese companies working in Mali. Five Turkish Airlines personnel were among the freed hostages, Turkey's state-run news agency reported. Air France said on Twitter that 12 crew members, including two pilots, were also freed.

Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita cut short a trip to Chad, where he was attending a meeting of G5 Sahel.

French President Francois Hollande offered military support to the former French colony. France sent at least 40 members of the French National Gendarmerie Intervention Group to help with the crisis, according to Pierre-Henry Brandet, the spokesman for the French Interior Ministry.

Mali, a West African country with a population over 15 million, was a French colony until 1960. Muslims represent 90% of the population, according to GREAT economic research institute in Bamako.

In 2012, the northern part of Mali fell under the control of groups linked to al-Qaeda in the Magreb, which had long operated in the region. France launched a military offensive in 2013, driving out those groups, but large areas of the country remain lawless and terrorized by the militants.

In August, 13 people were killed when gunmen attacked a hotel in Severe in central Mali. Five others died in March after masked gunmen attacked a restaurant in Bamako.

Traore said at least one guest reported that the attackers Friday instructed him to recite verses from the Quran before he was allowed to leave the hotel. A Radisson employee at the hotel told the French weekly Jeune Afrique that three heavily armed gunmen were involved, but a security source told Reuters that as many as 10 gunmen stormed the building, firing shots and shouting, "God is great," in Arabic.

On the streets, such religious motives provoked outrage.

"These terrorists are not real Muslims because they are killing people who belong to a Muslim country," said Adama Sacko, visibly angry as he tried to pass through the neighborhood, even as security forces created roadblocks and check points on all the main streets leading to the hotel.

Stanglin reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard in Berlin.