BAMAKO, Mali—Suspected jihadists attacked a hotel resort Sunday in Mali’s capital, taking hostages at a spot popular with foreigners on the weekends.
At least two people were killed and about 30 people managed to escape as the assault continued into the evening, authorities said.
Gunfire first rang out at the Campement Kangaba on the outskirts of Bamako in the late afternoon. “I heard gunfire coming from the camp and I saw people running out of the site,” said Modibo Diarra, who lives nearby.
Malian soldiers later succeeded in entering the resort area, according to Commandant Modibo Traore, a spokesman for the Malian special forces in the former French colony.
“The operation is ongoing,” he said, estimating there were three or four assailants.
Mali’s security minister later issued a statement confirming at least two deaths, one of which was a dual French-Gabonese citizen. One of the suspected assailants was wounded in the attack and managed to escape, the ministry said.
As night fell, witnesses saw smoke rising from the Campement Kangaba, which features three swimming pools and is a popular escape from the Malian heat. It wasn’t immediately clear what was burning, although jihadists in other attacks have set cars ablaze.
Source: Mali Resort Popular With Foreigners Is Attacked – WSJ
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