Terror Attack at Mali Luxury Resort Leaves Five Dead

Five people were killed and 32 others were rescued on Sunday after gunmen stormed a luxury resort near Mali’s capital city of Bamako.

A group linked to al-Qaeda carried out the attack on Le Campement Resort. Islamist fighters have been roaming the West African country’s north and center, posing a threat to those in the area.

“It is a jihadist attack. Malian special forces intervened and hostages have been released,” Salif Traore, Mali Security Minister, told AFP news agency.

Four of the attackers had been killed by security forces while the other four assailants were arrested, according to Traore.

“We have recovered the bodies of the two attackers who were killed,” he said. However, they have been searching for the other two missing bodies.

U.N. soldiers and troops from a French counter-terrorism force aided special forces on the scene, where a machine gun and bottles filled with explosive substances were discovered.

Boubacar Sangare witnessed the attack unfold.

“Westerners were fleeing the encampment while two plainclothes police exchanged fire with the assailants,” Sangare said. “There were four national police vehicles and French soldiers in armored vehicles on the scene.”

He looked on as a helicopter circled above him.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Embassy in Bamako disclosed a warning on its website to Western travelers, saying there was an increased threat in security.

“The US Embassy informs US citizens of a possible increased threat of attacks against Western diplomatic missions, places of worship, and other locations in Bamako where Westerners frequent. Avoid vulnerable locations with poor security measures in place, including hotels, restaurants and churches,” the warning said.

Back in November 25, a similar incident had occurred when gunmen invaded a Malian hotel and killed at least 22 people, according to the U.N. Mission in Mali.

As they shot victims, the gunmen yelled “Allahu akbar,” a witness said. Two assailants were killed at the scene. However, it was unclear if they blew themselves up or if security forces killed them, Olivier Salgado, a mission spokesman, said after the attack.

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