The hostages were in the hotel in the capital of Mali, no more – RIA Novosti

© AP Photo / Harouna Traore

MOSCOW, November 20 – RIA Novosti. The hostages in the hotel Radisson Hotel Bamako in Mali’s capital are no more, but the fighters still in the building; According to recent reports, the hotel found the bodies of 27 dead.

On Friday, about a dozen gunmen attacked the hotel Radisson Hotel Bamako, located in the center of the capital of Mali, and took hostage 170 people, including 140 guests and 30 employees hotel. Security forces surrounded the hotel with 190 rooms. Media reported that the hotel is popular among airline staff Air France. Among the hostages were citizens of the United States, India, China and Turkey. The Association of Tour Operators of Russia reported that tourists from Russia among the hostages was not.

© Ruptly

The first images from the scene of hostage-taking in one of the hotels in the capital of Mali

International terrorism

As reported by Agence France-Presse, with reference to the representative of the United Nations, in the captured property found the bodies of 27 people. It became known that the victims of the attack were three people – two French and Malian.

According to media reports, the militants seized the building are there, but the hostages in the hotel. During a special operation to free the hostages wounded two policemen. According to Agence France Press, which refers to the Malian military sources, two terrorists from among the seized hotel wiped out.

Responsibility for the attack on the hotel has undertaken related to “al-Qaeda” terrorist group “Al-Murabitun”, which was previously claimed responsibility for attacks on a number of hotels in Mali. The European Centre for Strategic Studies and Security have no doubt that this is the group responsible for the attack. Expert Center told RIA Novosti that this option is the most likely.

Leading Researcher Center for the Study of tropical Africa the Institute of African Studies Vasily Filippov convinced that the taking of hostages in the capital of Mali is linked to international terrorism and may be in retaliation for the policy of France.

“It would be very naive to assume Islamic fundamentalists do not seek to unite their efforts to synchronized actions. I am absolutely convinced that all this is quite a concerted action, it’s only the beginning of a great war of terror. The current events in Mali – a link of the same chain “- said Philip in an interview with RIA Novosti.

According to him, the cause of the hostage taking can be long-standing differences between the official Bamako, on the one hand, and the Tuareg (People in Mali) and Islamists on the other.

“This is a very serious history. The reasons must be sought in French policy to Mali, to the recent bombing of the territory of Mali and the problem of Islamic fundamentalism in the Sahel. This is certainly due to the coup of 2012 and due to the fact that France is rather unceremoniously and roughly invaded with his expeditionary force to the territory of Mali “, – the expert said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia Margalit said that Spain is considering replacing the Spanish contingent of French troops in Mali and the Central African Republic to France could focus on operations in Syria. As the minister is a request from the French side, and Spain has not received any decision on this case “would be taken by consensus”.