Malian commandos stormed a luxury hotel in Bamako on Friday after Islamist gunmen took 170 people including many foreigners hostage in the capital of the former French colony, which has been battling rebels allied to al-Qaeda for several years.
Dozens of people were reported to have escaped or been freed, but at least three were dead. A security source said the gunmen had dug in on the seventh floor of the hotel as special forces advanced on them. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
State television showed footage of troops in camouflage fatigues wielding AK-47s in the lobby of the Radisson Blu, one of Bamako's smartest hotels. In the background, a body lay under a brown blanket at the bottom of a flight of stairs.
Updated @ 4:00pm Central Time
Updates in progress . . .
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