Bamako, Nov 21: Mali began three days of national mourning on Saturday and declared a state of emergency after a nine-hour siege by jihadist gunmen at a top hotel in the capital left at least 27 people dead.
The assault, claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate the Al-Murabitoun group led by notorious one-eyed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, ended after Malian and international troops stormed the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako.
The attack came as fears are mounting about terrorist threats a week after devastating attacks in Paris that killed 130 people claimed by the Islamic State group, which also said it had downed a Russian passenger jet in Egypt weeks before.
The Malian government declared a 10-day nationwide state of emergency from midnight yesterday over the assault and called three days of mourning for the victims, who included three Chinese, an American and a Belgian.
US President Barack Obama has condemned the “appalling” attack, adding that “this barbarity only stiffens our resolve to meet this challenge” of extremist violence.
