BAMAKO, Mali—Islamic extremists armed with guns and grenades stormed the Radisson hotel in Mali’s capital Friday, and security forces swarmed in to free guests floor by floor. As evening fell, officials said no more hostages were being held and that at least 19 people had been killed.
U.S. and French special operations forces assisted Malian troops in responding to the attack by an unknown number of gunmen. Shooting continued into the late afternoon, and a U.N. official said two attackers were dead.
An extremist group led by former al-Qaida commander Moktar Belmoktar claimed responsibility for the siege at the Radisson Blu hotel in the former French colony, and many in France saw it as a new assault on their country’s interests a week after the Paris attacks.
As people ran for their lives near the hotel along a dirt road, troops in full combat gear pointed the way to safety, sometimes escorting civilians with a protective arm around their shoulders. Later, local TV showed heavily armed troops in what appeared to be a lobby, apparently led by an officer.
Reflecting the chaos surrounding the siege, various death tolls were reported during the day. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said 19 people died — 18 in the hotel and one Malian soldier killed in the fighting.
A U.N. official had earlier said initial reports put the number of dead at 27, but that different casualty figures have been reported and the organization is working with authorities to get an exact total. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the operation was still ongoing.
A Malian military official initially said there were 10 gunmen, but by later in the day, it was not clear how many assailants took part. It also was not known if the two dead attackers were included in the U.N. count of the dead.
Malian special forces went “floor by floor” to free hostages, army Cmdr. Modibo Nama Traore told The Associated Press.
