PARIS (Sputnik) — No more hostages are held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali's capital Bamako, though gunmen remain in the building, the country's security minister said Friday.
"They are currently holding no hostages and forces are in the process of tracking them down," Salif Traoré was quoted as saying by BFM TV.
Five security officers were injured Friday during the anti-terrorist operations in a hotel in the capital of Mali, Bamako, Salif Traoré said.
"At least five of our men were wounded. This means that the operation is extremely difficult, but we are well equipped," the minister said in a statement broadcast by Maliactu TV channel, adding that the security officers managed to bring 66 people out of the building.
Earlier in the day, several gunmen took 170 people hostage, including 140 guests and 30 hotel personnel.
According to UN peacekeepers, 27 bodies have been found so far at the Mali hotel.
Al-Mourabitoun, a group based in northern Mali, consisting mainly of Tuareg rebels and Arabs, posted a message on Twitter saying it was behind the blatant attack at the Radisson Blu Hotel in the capital’s center, according to Le Figaro.
The African jihadist group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in May, previously having links with al-Qaeda.
