The rescue forces storming the hotel in Mali’s capital this morning were met with scenes of horror: bodies piled up in pools of blood, the walls spattered with red.
At least 27 were killed before they could reach them, after a group of jihadis went on a deadly shooting rampage armed with grenades, at one point holding some 170 people hostage.
Automatic weapons fire was heard on the seventh floor of the 190-room Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, where it was thought as many as 10 militants roamed through the building, looking for guests and members of staff.
Two of the extremists have been killed, and all the remaining hostages have since been freed – many running for their lives along the dirt track outside the hotel, which is popular with foreigners.
The al-Qaeda affiliated group Al-Mourabitoun, based in northern Mali, have claimed responsibility for the attack, which began when the armed militants entered the grounds in a vehicle which witnesses claim had diplomatic plates.
The extremist group split two years ago from Al Qaiea’s North Africa branch and is led by Moktar Belmoktar. The group said it wanted fighters freed from Mali’s prisons and for attacks against northern Malians to stop.
The jihadist group, known as the Mourabitounes, was formed in 2013 after Belmoktar left al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and fused with a Malian militant group. The statement issued on Friday said the Mourabitounes had attacked in coordination with the ‘Sahara Emirate’ affiliated with Al Qaeda.
Several witnesses have claimed that the gunmen entered through the gates of the hotel in a car with a diplomatic number plate before opening fire with AK-47s and throwing grenades inside the building. The gunmen were also speaking to the hostages in English, according to one who was freed.
‘I heard them say in English ‘Did you load it?, Let’s go’,’ revealed Guinean singer Sekouba ‘Bambino’ Diabate, who was rescued by Malian security forces.
Mr Diabate added: ‘I wasn’t able to see them because in these kinds of situations it’s hard. I woke up with the sounds of gunshots and for me, it was just small bandits who came in the hotel to claim something. After 20 or 30 minutes, I realized these are not just petty criminals.’
The hotel’s head of security, Seydou Dembele, said two private security guards had been shot in the legs in the early stages of the assault.
‘We saw two of the attackers. One was wearing a balaclava. The other was black-skinned. They forced the first barrier,’ Dembele told Reuters.
Within minutes of the assault, police and then soldiers had surrounded the hotel and were blocking roads leading into the neighbourhood.
Belgian diplomat Dieudonne was among two Malians and one French national who were confirmed dead following the siege.
Mr Dieudonne, an official with the parliament of Belgium’s French-speaking community, had been in Mali for a convention when he was killed in shocking terror attack.
‘Mr Dieudonne, with other foreign colleagues, was in Mali to give a seminar for Malian parliamentarians. At this stage the exact circumstances of his tragic death are not yet known,’ the Brussels-based parliament said.
At least 27 bodies were counted by one UN peacekeeper – 12 in the basement and a further 15 on the second floor – as Mali’s security minister confirmed the gunmen are holding no more hostages.
Among the dead is Belgian diplomat Geoffrey Dieudonne, who had been in the country to deliver a seminar to the government.
Two workers for Turkish Airlines and six Chinese nationals are thought to be among the missing hostages.
Twelve members of the Air France crew have been released from the hotel following a raid by Malian special forces while five other Turkish Airlines employees have managed to escape from the hotel, Turkish officials confirmed.
‘The whole of the Air France team is now in a safe place,’ an Air France statement said, indicating it was in ‘constant contact’ with its team of two pilots and 10 cabin crew members.
US Special Forces have reportedly been assisting with the rescue operation to clear the building of hostages and take out the armed jihadis.
The French intelligence service has also been providing invaluable logistical support for the operation and have confirmed they have dispatched a unit of special forces to Bamako.
‘Our special forces have freed hostages and 30 others were able to escape on their own. We have sealed all the exit points of the hotel, so be assured none of the hostage takers will be able to escape,’ security minister Salif Traore told AFP.
A spokesman for the ministry added: ‘A group of Islamist gunmen involved in the storming of a luxury hotel in Mali’s capital, Bamako, continued to hold out against security forces on Friday even after the evacuation of all civilians from the building.’
‘The attackers no longer have hostages. They are dug in in the upper floors. They are alone with the Malian special forces who are trying to dislodge them,’ spokesman Amadou Sangho said. Daily Mail.