Posted on 11/20/2015 9:44:34 AM PST by Freemeorkillme
Al Murabitoon, an al Qaeda group that operates in West Africa, has claimed responsibility for this morning’s suicide assault on a luxury hotel in Bamako, Mali. Al Murabitoon claimed it executed the hotel siege in conjunction with Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al Qaeda’s official branch in North Africa.
The al Qaeda group claimed the Bamako attack in a statement that was sent to Al Jazeera. According to Al Murabitoon, the operation was carried “in coordination with the Sahara Emirate of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.â€
Al Murabitoon said its fighters would release hostages held at the hotel for “the liberation of the mujahideen in Bamako’s prisons.†Additionally, Al Murabitoon demanded that Malian and French forces stop “the oppression of the people of northern Mali.†The jihadists threatened to execute the hostages if its demands are not met and said it would release a complete statement on the attack at a later time.
Today’s attack began when jihadists, purportedly driving a vehicle with diplomatic plates, penetrated the Radisson Blu’s security perimeter and then shot their way into the hotel. Once inside, the gunmen are sad to have searched the hotel “floor by floor, room by room†according to Reuters. The attackers were heard yelling “Allahu Akbar,†or “God is greatest,†in Arabic while fanning out through the hotel.
The jihadists are said to have taken 170 hostages, including number of American, French, Chinese, and Indian citizens. An estimated 80 hostages were freed after they were able to correctly recite verses of the Koran. The tactic of separating Muslims from other hostages is one that is often used by al Qaeda to avoid killing Muslims.
Malian special forces as well as US Special forces are said to have assaulted the hotel in an effort to free the hostages. Six Americans are said to have been freed by US Special Forces.
Al Murabitoon is led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a veteran African jihadist who is openly loyal to Ayman al Zawahiri and has denounced the Islamic State. Belmokhtar and Al Murabitoon have been behind several spectacular attacks in West Africa over the past several years, including the January 2013 suicide assault on the In Amenas gas facility in southeastern Algeria, and the May 2013 suicide assaults in Niger that targeted a military barracks and a uranium mine. Scores of people were killed in these attacks.
Belmokhtar and his unit are listed by the US as a specially designated global terrorist and a Foreign Terrorist Organization, respectively.
The Sahara branch of AQIM is led by Yahya Abu Hammam, who is listed by the US as a specially designated global terrorist for playing a “key role in the group’s ongoing terrorist activities in North Africa and Mali.â€
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of The Long War Journal. Caleb Weiss is an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a contributor to The Long War Journal.
Malian special forces as well as US Special forces are said to have assaulted the hotel in an effort to free the hostages. Six Americans are said to have been freed by US Special Forces.
Didn’t John Kerry just tell the world AQ was contained?
The socialists wouldn't lie to us would they?
s/
They must be upset about being relegated to also rans in the wake of ISIS
Whew. For a minute there I thought it might have been some islamic terrorist group..................oh, dang.
I’ll swear I just saw Shark Divebomber (aka Wolf Blitzer), switching from Paris story to the Mali story about Bamako, saying: “We take you now to our reporter in neighboring Nairobi”.
Ooops! Nairobi is a good 4000 miles from Bamako.
However, libs get a pass when they don’t know snot about geography.
What’s even funnier is that Bamako is even closer to Paris than it is to Nairobi.
He might as well have said, “Here I am in New York; I now take you to neighboring Bamako.” It’s about the same distance as neighboring Nairobi.
Noooooo Problemo!
I’m still trying to wrap my head around “luxury hotel” and “Bamako Mali” being in the same sentence.
Now they are going to compete with each other to see whom is the hardest Islamic group. Joy...
lol. It has running water, flushing toilets and you get to sleep indoors. ;)
“Malian special forces as well as US Special forces are said to have assaulted the hotel in an effort to free the hostages.”
Must have been the ones Obama sent to find the #BringBackOurGirls kidnapped by Boko Haram last year.
Not to be up-staged by ISIS.
Either that, or the ones he sent to treat and beat the Obola epidemic.
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